L U C I F E R
by SunshineGirl09
Summary: To put it briefly, in only a matter of about twenty minutes, I became a slave to the Devil, an apprentice to the detached and heartless but skillful Neji Hyuuga, friends with a crew of unlikely assassins and a student to a high school where it all unknowingly exists. This is not the reality that I wanted.
1. The Devil

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 1: The Devil

It was definitely the aura that got me. Throughout my life I had never smelt something so foul. It wasn't that though. I could literally almost see a black ring of death that had surrounded the school, which was hidden deep in the city of Konoha. It was dark. The feeling I mean. Something that made unexplained goosebumps run up and down your arms . . . except these I could guess where they came from. There was no need for the shivers running through my spine to be explained. It was definitely the aura.

My book bag was pressed tightly against my chest, along with my knees. I kept my head resting on the my hands turned away so I didn't have to look at the school anymore, but it only worsened the feeling that came from the school, making it feel unknown because I couldn't see anything behind my hands.

"Tenten?"

My mother grabbed at my hands.

"Stop that please." She pleaded with a sigh.

Finally I removed my hands and glanced back at the school. It looked like a prison, with high and mighty walls. Except for the top floor, which was made completely of glass. I braced myself, expecting the glass to shatter and have the devil himself rise from it.

"Stop it." My mother Yuri scolded. "You're being way too ridiculous!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Just look at it, Mom." I remarked coldly. "It looks like a jailhouse!"

Yuri hesitated for a moment. She knew I was right. The entire bottom half really did look like a jail, a jail with a wall used to conceal the inmates. It was a boarding school too so that made matters worse than they should've been.

"Look at the dorms," My mother pointed out. "They look fine."

It was true that the dorms, kitty corner to the school, looked a little more humane than the main building but they still freaked me out. There was no **_way _**that I could live here 5 days a week. The thought was insane. The creepy school and not as much but still slightly creepy dorms were not going to work for me.

"Get out." Yuri told me.

I shook my head several times.

"Now."

Another shake.

"Do it."

Shake. Shake.

"Tenten."

I didn't comply.

"One-"

"Okay. Don't you think I'm a little too old for that?" I grumbled.

My mother crossed her arms. "I don't know." She replied. "You're fifteen and you still can't listen to your own mother."

I rolled my eyes.

"Well you **_are _**leading me to my own death." I informed her, exaggerating only a **_tiny _**bit.

She sighed once more. A very motherly and annoyed sigh.

"Please Tenten." Yuri repeated. "Get out and go to school."

I crinkled my nose before slipping my shoulder strap on and grabbing the handle of the suitcase.

My suitcase was striped black and white. It reminded me of a zebra. I had gotten from one of my old friends a few years back. It was great because I had always wanted a cool suitcase instead of the plain brown ones my mother had always made me use.

I was always pleased to say that my book bag was a complete mess. It was lime green and pink but had multiple anime pins and buttons attached to it. I had drawn on it with permanent hot pink and yellow marker. I had sewn on threaded badges that spelled out my favorite KPOP and JPOP bands. Really it was a bag of Asian pop culture and I loved it to death. My mom was highly annoyed by it, stating it was too brightly colored, but that thought really hadn't sunk in for me. Color was great.

"Go on." Yuri encouraged me.

I frowned, curling my lip slightly to show my annoyance. She wasn't the one going to the school of death.

It looked so empty and desolate because we had arrived early. Everyone must have been sleeping still. It hadn't occurred to me yet that the reason I was terrified at first was because of the emptiness that seemed to haunt the halls.

I dragged my suitcase to the front door, blowing a kiss to my mom. Then I pushed through it, banging my book bag on the door frame in the process. I didn't really care which was probably why I hit the second door on accident too.

"Hello? Tenten?"

My ears perked. The voice was unfamiliar but obviously whoever spoke knew my name.

"Do I . . . ?

I came face to face with a girl who was just slight taller than me, about 5'5". Her height didn't surprise me nearly as much as her hair. It was pink. She had pink hair.

"Your hair is pink." I stated.

"Sorry to surprise you." The girl chirped.

"Her hair is pink," I murmured.

"I'm Haruno Sakura." She continued.

"She has pink-"

"Yes," Sakura grumbled. "My hair is pink. We get it."

I shook my head, snapping out of my trance.

It was totally cool. In fact I was slightly jealous of her pink hair. It was just like an anime. Or someone would was a famous pop star. They all color their hair and wear cool contacts.

"No," I said. "I think it's great. Did you dye it?"

Sakura sighed.

"No that's what everyone thinks; it's natural." She explained.

My mouth dropped but I kept silent, not wishing to upset my new 'friend' even further.

I shrugged. "Haha."

_Oh God this just got awkward._

"Well, um, you knew my name so ..." I paused for a moment. "You wanted to see me?"

Sakura chuckled, obviously brushing off our strange start.

"Yes," She told me, nodding. "I'm gonna show you to the office so you can properly adjust your schedule."

Her gaze shifted towards me and I felt her intense green eyes.

"You have it right?" She questioned.

I raised an eyebrow making a couple of faces. Did I have it? I remember packing it but God only knows what happened to it now. With my luck it probably found away to fall out of a moving car and into the road where many other cars ran over it.

So to make sure, I unnecessarily dropped my striped suitcase and began digging through my stuffed book bag. My hand passed over several things ... my iPod, a few manga books, a granola bar, some chocolate, lip gloss, cell phone, mechanical pencils, a few sharpies, my glasses that I was supposed to be wearing, and some other business. Finally my hand grasped a piece of paper ... that really wasn't what I was looking for but the second sheet I pulled out was my schedule.

Sakura smirked at me.

"That's good."

I followed her in silence, staring in wonder all around me. The inside of the school was super nice. The lockers were clean. The floors were shiny. It even smelled nice. Still the aura was sending awkward chills down my spine, sending my brain weird signals.

Dragging my suitcase along, I passed some students. They were of the most peculiar type. The first three were boys. One had blonde hair. He was leaning against a locker in a loosely fit uniform. Dress pants, a white shirt that wasn't tucked in. and and loose blue plaid tie.

The student next to him wore the same uniform except his was more cleaned up. His hair was a dark black with shades of an intense blue. I barely got a glimpse of his eyes, unlike the blonde's bright blue eyes, this other guy had black eyes.

"Barakku ..." I said in broken English. "_Kuro_."

His eyes seemed to flash towards mine so I immediately turned my gaze to the third boy. His scratchy hair was drawn up high into a ponytail that stuck up straight.

I cocked my head to the side but received a look from Sakura who realized my slowness.

"Don't you dare talk to them." She told me with a stern look.

"Uh, okay ..." I didn't really question it. She obviously knew this school better than I did. It wouldn't be good if I chose to not listen.

Then we passed some more **_lovely _**people.

It was a timid girl with dark hair that seemed to be a black tinted with blue also. It was shoulder length. She wore a short plaid purple skirt, a white dress shirt, black knee high socks and a purple plaid tie. She carried her books and portrayed the look of an anime school girl. Her big eyes looked fearful though.

Next to her there was a boy with his arms crossed, leaning against a locker. His clothes were worn very similar to the boy who had blond hair. Loose and sloppy ... along with his hair. I didn't blame him though.

My hair was pulled up into a sloppy bun that was leaning towards the right side of my head. Sometimes I had it in two buns. Sometimes it was in a ponytail. Maybe Braids. Pigtails. Clips. It was never down though. My messy bangs hung over my eyebrows and were fringed. The edges almost went over my eyes.

And beside that boy was a beautiful blonde girl wearing the same uniform as the first girl. Her golden hair was pulled back into one long ponytail while a long strand of hair framed a side of her face. Then there were her eyes. A cyan blue that was electrifying. They were now transfixed on a locker she was struggling to open.

"Dammit." She muttered.

"Need help with that?" The messy haired boy next to her offered.

"We're **_not _**allowed to use force, _baka_." the blonde teen mumbled.

He shrugged.

"Just askin'."

Sakura grabbed my wrist, seeing how I was secretly observing them.

"Don't talk to them either." She told me.

I glanced back a few times.

"Well not many people are here this early ..." I said trying to switch the conversation.

Sakura coughed.

"No ... only the people who **_need _**to be here."

And that was the end of our talk for the next minute. Because we now arrived at the office.

Sakura motioned for me to go in without her.

I sighed and smiled.

"Thanks," I told her.

She nodded.

"Yeah no problem. Haha." Sakura added. "I was sent to get you ... but yeah."

I bit my lip, doing a nod and turned, opening the glass door to the office.

There was a metallic desk in the large room with a young woman who had short cropped black hair.

"Oh hello," She smiled warmly. "You must be Tenten. I'm Shizune."

I grinned sheepishly, adjusting my bags.

"Principle Tsunade is in that room over there." Shizune pointed. "Now come over here so I can go over your schedule."

I took a seat in the comfortable chair in front of her desk, setting aside my suitcase and placing my book bag on my knees.

Shizune reached out and I handed her my crinkled schedule. She smoothed it out against her desk and observed it.

"Hmm ... Algebra II ... Honor's Japanese* ... AP Geography ... Chinese II ... Violin ... Biology ... tough schedule for a 9th grader." Shizune murmured. "But there are no conflicts."

She searched through her drawer and finally got a pen. With it she wrote down numerous numbers next to each of my classes.

"Those are the room numbers." She explained. "Since it's early I recommend you find your classes so you're not late for any of them."

I nodded and gathered my things once more, not really knowing where I was going.

Of course I got lost before I remembered to ask Shizune-san about the dorms. So I lugged around my suitcase along with my book bag while I searched the school looking for my classes.

After a while I got pretty bored. So typically, I resorted to my iPod.

I shoved the earphones in and just put my KPOP playlist on shuffle.

SNSD's 'Hoot' began to blast in my ears.

The song was in Korean but I knew the translated lyrics well.

_The moment I blink again, you check it out!_  
_ Stop staring at the girls passing by!_

I stuffed my hands in my pocket and started to walk down the hall.

_Acting like you're not, acting like you didn't hear, your fake laughter_  
_ Everything, everything, everything is weird._

Everything really was weird because I had no idea where I was going ...

_How about being a little more nice to me?_  
_ Your cold words hurt me a lot_

I passed a few classrooms and got pissed. Their numbers looked exactly like the ones on my sheet except they were one of. ie: 5637A and 5368A =(

_I'm beginning to get used to it_  
_ I really hate this. I'm really upset about everything, everything, everything._

Where the heck was I even going? My bags were really starting to weight me down and I still hadn't found a single classroom of mine. It didn't help that there weren't any students roaming the hallways to actually help me.

_Where are you looking?_  
_ I'm right here._

I stared around as I walked, trying to decide where to go. Suddenly, I ran into something.

_Because of you, my heart wears armor_

I stared up at a boy who was in school uniform with his sleeves lazily rolled up.

_Now, I'm going to oppose you_

He raised a curious eyebrow and gave me a cold stare.

_Your arrows are trouble, trouble, trouble._

I stared at him back.

_You've targeted me. You shoot, shoot, shoot._

His hands were stuffed in his pocket while he chewed gum.

_I laugh, laugh, laugh (hoot, hoot, hoot)_

"Tch." I smirked, ripping out my headphones and springing upwards.

His hands never left his pockets and his bored expression remained.

"You should watch were you're going." He mumbled.

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"You were the one who ran into me!" I accused.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, and shifted his feet so he could walk away.

I blocked his path, getting a glimpse of his long hair tied back into a ponytail.

His eyebrow raised again.

"Excuse me?" He challenged, though his tone was still the same.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Apologize." I ordered.

With the same expression he replied simply, "Fuck no. Move."

"Tch. Why you-"

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sakura slid to my side panting.

"Why ... are you talking ... to Neji?" She demanded, shooting him a nasty glare.

I scowled.

"That jerk just-"

Sakura grabbed my arm and pulled me in the opposite direction.

"Definitely do **_not _**talk to Neji!" She whispered fast in my ear.

"Psh." I replied. "**_He _**bumped into **_me_**!"

"It doesn't matter." Sakura argued. "Just don't-"

"_Oh, Help me! Help me! _  
_Sorosoro iwa nakya! _

_Set me free _  
_Hora, motto touch me _  
_Sunao na kimochi ni kizukya ii'n da_!"

Sakura's phone rang through her book bag.

"I love that song!" I exclaimed, earning a glare from her.

She picked up her phone in annoyance.

"Hello?"

Pause.

"Ino ... I DON'T CARE IF YOU CAN'T GET THE DAMN LOCKER OPEN!"

Pause.

"Figure it out!"

_Okay. What the hell are they talking about?  
_

I raised a questioning eyebrow and watched Sakura scream into the phone. It took me a minute to realize that she must've been talking the blonde girl who was struggling to get the locker open.

"Well if you don't get it open it'll be my problem too, so hurry up!"

I glanced back to see if Neji was there but he had disappeared.

Where the heck did he go? He would've had to pass Sakura and I unless he went back the way he came. There weren't any classrooms right by him ... so where would he have-

"Tenten," Sakura shut her phone sharply. "Don't you dare move!"

I jumped.

"Ne?" I wondered.

"I'll be **_right _**back." Sakura explained, glancing around. "I meant it! Don't move from that spot!"

I sighed, leaning against a locker.

"Fine. Just be back before school starts," I told her. "I still need to fix things with my dorm and change into uniform."

The pink haired girl nodded.

"Yeah."

As I watched her disappear, I shoved my earphones back in and started jamming out to Mirotic by TVXQ/DBSK. The good thing about me that I liked was that no matter how bored I was, music was the answer to my problem.

Finally I sat back on my heels and slid downwards, my back against the locker.

My gaze shifted downwards as I listened to MAX's intense scream. I was lightly humming.

Something caught my attention. A faint flicker of red light.

I kept one of my earphones in and one out.

The flash of light had just come under a classroom door that was in front of me.

I curiously peeked under the door as I crawled across the hallway to the other side. I blinked.

There was another flicker of light and I felt like I was blinded. Something green now fluttered passed me.

If my eyes didn't deceive me I would've said the green thing went straight through the keyhole.

"No that's impossible." I muttered, observing the tiny hole.

Sighing I reached out and turned the door handle.

It opened.

The moment I walked in, extreme darkness surrounding me. It was surprising because I expected it to be bright.

Then the door slammed shut.

I felt a prick of fear tingle in my skin. Of course it didn't last long. I knew that the door didn't lock from the outside so I could easily get out.

In the darkness I started to slowly walk over to where the door was. It actually took me a minute to find the door handle but when I did, I was triumphant.

"Yes!" I whispered.

But it didn't open.

"Shit."

I glanced around the dark room trying not to panic.

"Light ... light. I need light."

I decided to observe my surroundings and think through the situation.

Think. I brought my book bag but left my suitcase and I was-

_"Jeone aldeon naega anya_  
_ Brand New Sound"_

I glanced downwards. I was such an idiot.

"My iPod!"

The song "Oh" was playing loudly.

I took the electronic and switched the lock off. A small square of light lit up part of the room.

It was disappointing because there still seemed to be nothingness.

"Ah. I see you found it." The voice had a thick Hispanic accent.

I jumped, frightened.

Where had that just come from?

Suddenly a spotlight shone on a Hispanic man probably in his twenties. He wore a black suit with a black shirt but a scarlet red tie.

The room around him was dark except he was standing on a black floor with red walls behind him.

"Who are you?" I demanded furiously. "Is it that hard to get a light in here?"

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Here?" He repeated. " . . . where is here?"

I stopped abruptly.

"It's the school!" I argued.

He laughed, a frighting sharp laugh and shook his head.

"You don't know where you _**are**_, do you?" He inquired with a smirk.

"Alright then, tell me!" I shouted, balling my fists, angry that I was being held captive in this room.

He sighed.

"Well, first there's one thing you should know."

I narrowed my eyes and his smirk grew wider.

"I am the Devil."

* * *

**A/N: YES! I'm doing a new NejiTen story! I took a break from them for a while but now I back with a new story idea. I hope it doesn't offend anyone's religion. It's just a story and has no reflection of what I believe and lol I'm not forcing any opinion on anyone. Just the stooooory. So guys, tell me what you like about the first chapter, kay?**

**Here are links to the songs I used: (take away spaces in URL)  
**

**Hoot-**

**www . youtube . com/watch?v=PfPWxK1BQFI**

**Mirotic-**

**www . youtube . com/watch?v=HtJS32n6LNQ**

**Set Me Free (Sakura's Ringtone)**

**www . youtube . com/watch?v=hcV3FFbQV8w**

**Oh-**

**www . youtube . com/watch?v=TGbwL8kSpEk**


	2. A Lie

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 2: A Lie

I shouldn't have been so afraid. I should not have believed him. Only an insane person would claim to be the devil, but it seemed every part of my soul believed it. And because my religion wavered, I wasn't sure exactly **_what _**to believe in anymore.

That's why I knew he was a devil.

His smirk. His eyes ... cold dark and emotionless eyes. The way his hands were stuffed in his pockets ... for an instant the face of the boy I had just seen moments ago flashed in my mind.

I racked my brain to try and remember his name ... Neji.

"How did you get in?"

The words went through my ears and my brain told me they were wrong. It told me they were fake. Evil.

"The door." I told him. "It was open."

He raised an eyebrow.

_It was open. I know it was open._

"You're lying to me." He informed me.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Of course I was lying ... but I couldn't let myself believe that.

"What are you?" I demanded. "An idiot?"

I felt the feeling in the room shift.

"That's a bold statement." He commented.

"Well you're obviously the one who left the door open." I cocked my head to the side.

_Believe it. Believe he had the door open. _

"Damn." He replied. "You're such a good liar."

I blinked, staring at him directly into his terrifying eyes. I was not fearless.

"But you can't lie to **_me_**." He explained. "You're in Hell."

I closed my eyes trying to focus.

"No I'm not." I argued.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not in Hell." I retorted.

The lie would've been more believable if I hadn't had my awkward first impression of this school being Hell even before this encounter.

I opened my eyes to see his smirk widen. It was a sickening grin that made me secretly shudder. I knew he could sense my fear and probably detected my slight shiver because I could see his expression become far more amused.

"I'm not in Hell." I repeated to myself.

He scoffed.

"Such resistance. Damn you really are good. Trying to make yourself believe the lie as much as possible," His weight shifted. "So the fear doesn't set in."

My mouth opened slightly then shut. He was right. This was my defense mechanism. A damn good one.

This was why no one ever trusted me. They knew I could lie **_very _**well. All I had to do is try to put myself in the situation and not let my emotions get the better of me ... which was sometimes hard considering I was a hormonal, teenage girl.

"It's okay though." He said, the thick Hispanic accent in his voice. "A little pain should wake you up."

"_Itami_. . ."

Before I could comprehend his insane words, an excruciating pain exploded in my head. It felt like my ears would go deaf. My brain, my mind ... infected my a screeching noise that was so sharp it spoke insanity. No. It wasn't insanity. It was evil.

I remember screaming.I was huddled up on the ground, shrieking my lungs out.

Someone ... someone had to hear me right?

It was so unexplainable, I didn't know how to tell my body to deal with it. I had to somehow shut my mind away from my body. But it was so hard to even think straight through such a situation. I couldn't even scream the word 'Stop.'

My body was shaking so violently that I felt like a vibrating cellphone against a table, the sound so resonant ...

I had to do it though. Say something. Say it.

"S-s-s-s-stop!"

Of course it didn't work. The pain only continued, but actually it helped me.

If I could voice out loud, I could definitely use the voice in my head.

_It doesn't hurt. There's no way. I don't believe it. If I don't believe it ... it can't be true. It can't exist. I will shut it out. I will shut it out!  
_

The voice in my head began to get louder than the screeching and my shaking started to slow. I felt my body get rejuvenated and my shoulders relaxed. There was enormous relief and a release of tension that had built up inside of me.

Very slowly, I rose up with shaking knees and stared at the Devil.

He was still smirking. More deviously than before.

It disgusted me.

We stared at each other for a minute and I felt the sweat drip down the side of my face. My bangs were partially wet from it.

I looked at my idle iPod, nestled in my book bag next to me where I had dropped it, then back towards the Mexican man.

"Your name is Tenten, right?"

I finally got the courage to stare back at him.

"Yes."

"I could use you." He said.

Another spotlight flickered on and he motioned towards a black metal chair.

"Care for a seat?" He questioned.

I glanced over suspiciously. If I were to sit down that would put me at a disadvantage ... not like I wasn't already at one anyway.

"I'll stand, thank you." I replied curtly.

"Such politeness." the Devil took a seat in the chair and fingered me towards him.

I didn't know what came over my legs but I started to walk closer to him.

His scent was something else. It wasn't exactly lust. But it wasn't desire either. It was some kind of wanting and it smelled so good.

That's why I tried my hardest to urge my body to keep it's distance.

"What do you mean 'use me'?" I inquired, darting my eyes around the room, trying to take in my surroundings.

It was hard, considering everywhere else outside of the spotlight was black.

He drew in a deep breath.

"That was quite the resistance you showed."

I quirked an eyebrow, trying to calm down my brain and anxiety.

"I want to see if you have some." He continued.

"Some what?" I immediately asked, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stick up defensively.

"Some Devil." He replied, his smirk growing wide.

My first thought was confusion. Then the confusion went to anger. What the hell was he talking about? Devil? But then it turned back into confusion which finally resulted in fear. Fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the person in front of me who claimed to be the devil. I didn't really know if he was or not. But he had caused such pain to me before ...

"What do you mean?" I panicked. "What's that?"

He sighed.

"There are people, all over the world, very few, that are born with Devil in them." He explained, drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair. "I, don't like people like that who exist."

I gulped, feeling a lump in my throat rise.

"However," He said, amused by my fear. "If people like you, help me **_kill _**the others, I'll keep you alive."

"P-pardon?" I asked, feeling light headed.

"I said I was willing to keep you alive," the Devil repeated.

My thoughts were spinning around in my head and I was terrified of being killed. I didn't want to die. Who did? So of course I was scared.

"I don't get it." I answered.

He snorted.

"Help me ... and I'll let you live."

I swallowed and blinked while my gaze shifted several times.

"What do I have to do?"

"Kill the people that I ask you to kill." Devil replied. "It's simple."

"No! I can't kill someone!" I argued, covering my mouth quickly after I said that.

"Huh. Why? Your life is on the line ..." He trailed off.

"But I can't kill someone all by myself." I informed him. "I can't-"

He rolled his eyes.

"_Chica_, listen. You'll be with a partner, ne?"

I shifted uncomfortably.

"If I don't do this ... will you kill me?"

He smiled menacingly.

"Of course I will."

I swallowed.

"If it ... is to keep me alive. I'll do it."

I don't know what went through my mind when I said that. It was insane. Every aspect of it. Only a dark fate comes to those who made deals with the Devil. I knew that. So why did I agree to something so stupid? Wouldn't it be more honorable to die fighting and not giving in?

"You'll be with Neji." He told me.

"Who?" I questioned, suddenly feeling stupid because I knew who Neji was.

Then it hit me. He was the cold, unreasonable person that I had bumped into in the hallway. The one without any manners.

"I believe you ran into him earlier ... literally." the Devil said, eyebrow raised.

_Okay. How did he know that?_

I narrowed my suspicious eyes.

"Why do I have to work with him?" I demanded.

"Simply ... because he's the best."

"There-"

"You better get going." He cut me off. "You still need to change."

I crinkled my nose and tightened my grip on my bag. How the hell was I supposed to get to the door in the dark room.

He read my mind.

A creaking noise made me sharply turn and I saw a faint light behind me.

At first I walked towards, then it turned into a run and I found myself sprinting.

I leaped through, gasping for air as the brightness engulfed me, causing my eyes to ache.

"Tenten!"

I blinked rapidly and felt my shoulders get shaken repeatedly.

My eyes finally adjusted and I looked at Sakura with annoyance.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh my god." She murmured when I lifted up my head. She observed my eyes. "You've seen him haven't you?"

"Pardon?"

"Shit, you have! Shit ..." Sakura paced, letting me go.

I stared at her questioningly.

The pink haired girl whipped out her cellphone and dialed numbers extremely fast.

"Ino ... we've got another!" Sakura blabbed into the phone with a worried tone.

I cocked my head, trying to listen to the intense conversation Sakura was having but had no luck. It was obviously something secret, which meant it must be kept from me because no one ever told me anything about anyone.

Sakura listened intently.

"Just ask Shikamaru ... of course you already did ... fine. I'll talk to Sasuke later."

There was a pause.

"Hell no. You can deal with Neji."

And with that Sakura hung up.

Then she smiled.

"Let's find your dorm!"

I tried not to be bothered by her sudden change in attitude but it seemed she was trying to get me to forget everything that just happened. So, I just awkwardly followed her through hallways I didn't remember walking through and all the way out the school doors to the dorms.

The giant dorm building was super nice. We even took an elevator up to floor 4 (out of 7 floors).

Sakura took my sheet from my hands and found my room number.

"D125 ..." She muttered. "This way."

I once again trailed behind her, lugging my suitcase and book bag. I felt very indifferent about this place. It was odd.

Around us, I hardly noticed the other girls and boys around my age yawning and walking out of their dorms in uniform.

"I think Shizune gave me a key sometime this morning ..." Sakura dug around in her small purse and finally pulled out a room key that looked like a credit card. She slid it through a scanner on the door and it clicked open.

"My own dorm?" I asked in amazement.

"Of course." Sakura replied. "That's just how it is at this school."

I nodded, still observing my super nice room. This was my home for the next four years.

There was a bed with one plain white cotton sheet and two dawn pillows. The headboard was a light maple. The whiles were ivory as well as the desk and dresser. My walk in closet was empty and the nightstand was just as bland as everything else.

"Can I decorate it?" I questioned.

Sakura chuckled.

"Duh." She responded. "The unoccupied rooms are the only ones not painted."

Sighing, I looked around once more.

"What time does school start?" I inquired.

"8:15."

"And it is now?"

"8:00."

"Thanks," I replied. "Really."

"Are you going to need anything else?" Sakura asked me.

"No thank you." I replied with a nod, still feeling uneasy about my recent encounter.

_Maybe I was imagining things ..._

She left me and I shut the door.

I ignored all the annoying thoughts buzzing around in my mind and through my bags down.

Cracking my neck a few times, I began to unzip my zebra striped suitcase. Already on top was my nicely ironed uniform. The plaid purple skirt and tie, white dress shirt, and black knee high socks.

I changed into the outfit and posed in front of the mirror a few times. However, it was hard to see myself clearly from the distance. Then it reminded me.

Sighing, I snatched my book bag and found my squarish glasses and put them on my face, then looked into the mirror.

". . . Ah! I looked to cliche!" I cried.

Finally once I got over how cliche I looked, I grabbed my book bag and slung it over my shoulder.

I slipped my room key in my bag and opened the door.

Someone blocked my path. A blonde girl with cyan blue eyes.

"I know your story!" She whispered harshly, then glanced around. "There's something you should know though."

I gulped, unsure of what she was talking about.

"You **_can't _**lie to Neji."

* * *

**A/N: Ahh! Was that a cliffhanger? I don't think so ... anyways. I really like writing this story so ... I updated early! I don't have any awesome songs in this chapter though, lol. I enjooooy music =) The intense business is coming so prepare yourselves. I shall also go deeper into the characters! xD Have no fear my wonderful reviewers so please ... review :) And thanks for reading!**


	3. Lucky

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 3: Lucky

I felt the slightest curl of my lip as the girl named Ino walked away.

"Tch." I mumbled walking back into my dorm room. "Can't lie to Neji ... don't care."

It took me a moment to remember what I was going to get. My headphones. I didn't feel like losing the music quality by using my earphones. So I went with Skull Candy headphones.

Satisfied, I put my iPod in my book bag and my headphones on my head. I would just have to unpack my suitcase some other time after school. At this rate I was probably going to be late for my first class which I still hadn't found. Thank you, Sakura.

While I walked, some people getting ready in the hallway stared at me. It was probably the headphones and my blasting music that they could probably hear ...

Starts With One by Shiny Toy Guns ... one of my inspiring songs that is supposed to be motivational.

_"Starts with one, I can't feel ... it's all in your mind anyway ... "_

After a few more verses I decided it was too depressing so I put on Strawberry Avalanche.

_"This is a world ... of dreams, and reverie ... where I felt the stars ... explode ... around me."_

I smiled, bobbing my head and sticking out my tongue at passers that gave me funny looks. Music was just everything about me. I couldn't help that they didn't feel the same way. If they knew me well like my old friends did they would realize that it's too late to save me from the contagious rhythm; I was swallowed whole.

Too bad.

Now Strawberry Avalanche was starting to piss me off. I needed something more intense to show people a look of "Don't you dare piss me off."

The Catalyst.

_"God bless us everyone, we were broken people living under loaded gun. And it can't be outfought, it can't be outdone it can't be outmatched, it can't be outrun, no!"_

I walked outside and towards the main building where the school was. It wasn't too cold out because Japanese schools start in April. Still, there was a slight haunting chill to the air that made my skinny, exposed legs get goosebumps.

Inside everyone was running around to get to their classes. There was only five minutes left.

I pulled out my schedule to find my locker number.

_95_.

It wasn't too hard to find. The locker next to me was eight so I was lucky enough to be in the same hallway and just follow the lockers down in that row.

I reached my locker. It was purple, like most of the other lockers.

"Combination ..." I mumbled, looking downwards.

_6-66-8._

I nearly fainted reading the two numbers. It reminded me of my scarring encounter earlier that morning.

Shivering, I spun the lock and the door opened, revealing a clean, fresh smelling locker. I put in my book bag and headphones and hung them on the hooks. Then I grabbed a bright green notebook from my bag and a yellow mechanical pencil that had a Totoro eraser sitting on top.

I glanced one more time at my schedule reading the room number for my first class, Algebra II. To figure out where it was, I looked at the classroom numbers I was by at the moment. About a hundred off. It probably wasn't even in the same hallway.

So I ran down to the end of the hallway and found a sign that showed a range of numbers in which my room fell under pointing to a certain hallway. I followed that hallways at a fast walking pace until I reached my room number. Thank God everyone was still standing around in the room so I didn't stand out when walking in.

I glanced over at the teacher sitting behind the desk.

He was smoking. He was fucking smoking. In a classroom.

I raised an amused eyebrow.

No one seemed to care or notice that he was smoking. I knew that they hadn't had him before but ... still. You'd think that they would have some sort of other reaction.

I took a seat next to someone who was familiar ... the timid girl who had navy hair that went to her shoulders. Her eyes ... they were lavender ... very pale but lavender nonetheless.

She glanced over at me. I suppose it was a brave move on her part because she looked terrified and the moment she looked into my eyes ... hers widened and the fearful expression on her face grew to something that resembled more terror than anything.

"_Chotto Matsu..._" She whispered. "Ano ... excuse me ..."

_Whoa. She actually talked to me._

"Y-You're ..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "Never mind."

The girl quickly turned her eyes back to her desk. She didn't glance back at me again and looked as if she was in deep thought. Her eyes seemed to be straining and her tiny fingers were balled into a shaking fist. It wasn't anger obviously. It looked more like frustration mixed with confusion.

While she was busy having a mental breakdown the teacher finally clapped his hands together.

"Alright quiet ..." he muttered standing up from his desk and setting down his cigarette. "Sit down, sit down."

I immediately straightened, hoping that he didn't make permanent first impressions.

"My name is Asuma-Sensei and I will be teaching you Algebra II."

"Obviously." A boy in the back, I recognized as the one with the ponytail and lazy eyes, said.

Asuma coughed, annoyed.

"Your name?" he asked.

"Nara Shikamaru." The kid replied.

I looked back behind me and he was leaning forward in his desk with his head resting in his hands. His face held such a bored expression it was almost funny.

"Well Shikamaru, you seem like the genius-"

Asuma was interrupted by someone I didn't recognize.

"You're kidding right?" He said. "Shikamaru is the smartest here. He's got an IQ of over 200."

Asuma raised an eyebrow with slight respect.

"I hope your motivation matches your intelligence," He said, reading Shikamaru's character easily. "It'll be enjoyable to see how you do in my class."

After that there was quite an awkward silence.

"Ahem." Asuma continued. "You're in this class because you can think critically and you've outwitted the other students in the mathematics area." he explained. "You're about two years ahead of the standard so I give you some credit. However, you haven't seen anything yet."

Oh God. This was just what I needed. A hard class with hard homework. Math wasn't even my specialty I just happened to be good at it, didn't mean that I enjoyed it.

oOoOo

"No." I moaned, dragging my notebook and pencil with me as I left the classroom.

A class so troublesome shouldn't be allowed. My head already hurt. I thought that the first days of school were supposed to be nice and easy. I was obviously proven wrong.

Next I had to got to Honor's Japanese Literature ...

"Uhhh." I groaned while I looked at my schedule.

5 minutes of passing time.

It didn't take me too long because thankfully this class was in the same hallway. Even if it was on the complete other end.

The teacher was writing somethings on the board. She had silky black hair with random curls. It was really pretty.

I quickly took my seat, also hoping to give a good first impression for her too.

She turned around and I was extremely surprised by her **_eyes_**. They were a pretty shade of scarlet that captivated me for nearly a minute.

"Okay listen up." She called to us, shooing some people into their seats. "This class isn't just about grammar and how to write perfect sentences. It's about creating stories that will emotionally drag people into them. It's about creating beautiful sentences, not necessarily ones grammatically correct."

Immediately I already liked her.

oOoOo

Already this was my favorite class. I liked her style of teaching and the homework wasn't even bad. It was creating juicy words instead of dry ones. For example, changing angry into cantankerous. Something fun that I could easily do.

Next though, was my worst fear. AP Geography. I was terrible at anything that had to do with Social Studies or History or World Maps. I'd much rather work with math problems or a piece of writing.

The teacher of this class was about as lazy looking at Shikamaru. He also had a mask that was suspiciously covering half of his face. On top of all of those things, he was also reading and extremely perverted book. It wasn't just romance. It was **_perverted_**.

_Icha Icha Paradise._

Ew. _Shiver_.

He wasn't mean though. He was was strict but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

"I honestly don't care if you fail my class." Kakashi, that was his name, told us. "Just don't piss me off. I will teach you, you'll respect me, we have an agreement."

Everyone in the class nodded. We had an agreement.

oOoOo

Thank God it was lunch or I'd be screwed. Hunger had consumed my stomach and was demanding food.

Of course the moment I found the cafeteria, I remembered my money was back at the dorm.

So I went trudging back outside and to the dorms. I walked in, took the elevator up, walked all the way through the hallways to D124, entered the room, dug around a bit, found my purse hidden deep in my suitcase, grabbed my wallet and went through the process again.

By the time I was back the lunch lines had died down a bit and there were about 4 or 5 kids in each line.

I strolled up to one of them and waited about a minute. Once it was my turn I took a look at the selections, grabbing a tray while I was at it. It took me about ten or twenty seconds to contemplate but I decided on two onigiri, some strawberries, and some cold shrimp.

The nice lady at the counter rung me up and I handed her a ten dollar bill, receiving 43 cents in change.

I walked through the cafeteria, looking straight ahead.

And something caught my eye.

Neji.

He glanced at me for a second and rolled his eyes.

_Oh God. Shit he knows doesn't he?_

I wondered about his connection with the Devil but didn't dare to even talk to him. Actually I expected him to push me or something but he walked back without any physical contact. He passed me.

Strangely, a sigh of relief escaped from my mouth.

I only had to worry about where to sit for a couple of seconds.

"Tenten!" A familiar wave of pink hair flashed before my eyes and Sakura was yanking at my elbow. "You're sitting with us!"

"Us?" I repeated, following her gingerly.

Sakura led me to a table that felt secluded from the others.

If this were an anime, I swear to God I would have an exaggerated sweat drop drip from my face.

"I thought you told me not to talk to them." I told Sakura, gesturing towards the people at the table, who were the ones that I had stared at earlier this morning.

Sakura sighed.

"Yeah well that was before a certain _**incident **_took place." She explained.

I crinkled my nose.

"What incident?"

"I think you know." Sakura remarked, grabbing my shoulders. "Just sit down."

She pushed me into a seat right next to the timid girl from my Algebra class.

"Tenten," Sakura sat next to me. "Just tell me how it happened."

"Pardon?" I asked, though I was pretty sure that I knew exactly what she meant.

Sakura definitely wasn't an idiot. She could read my emotions and she _**knew **_what happened. Something about my eyes ...

"The Devil. How did you meet him?" She questioned.

I sighed.

"A door. There was a door."

Hinata glanced at me and so did the blonde boy.

"A door?" Sakura asked. "Was there a key **_in _**it?"

"No." I responded, picking up my chopsticks and feeding myself a strawberry. "There was no key at all."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, not even glancing at her food.

"How was there no key?" She wondered to herself.

The blonde kid sitting across from me shrugged.

"Dunno." He put in. "Seems really ... weird. You'd think the old geezer would make you figure out how to open the door, not just keep it open..."

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped. "Do **_not _**call him 'old geezer'. That's your life on the line you know." She finally picked up her chopsticks and filled her entire mouth full of rice, trying to keep her mind off of the topic.

I just kept eating, feeling a little awkward to be sitting at the table with them.

"So who is she?" Naruto asked Sakura.

Sakura reached over the table and bonked him on the head.

"Don't be rude, Naruto!" She scolded. "When you want to know something about someone and they're right there in front of you, you ask them!"

I rubbed my head nervously, feeling embarrassed.

"Oh," Naruto said, as if it was just something that slipped his mind. "Who are you?"

"Uh ... my name is Tenten." I told him.

Naruto eyed me suspiciously before breaking out into a grin.

"Okay, okay ..." He said. "You're pretty cute I guess."

Another bonk on the head from Sakura.

"Not appropriate," She mumbled.

I also noticed Hinata fidgeted once Naruto called me cute but it didn't really register at the time for me.

"Oh who is that?" The wild looking boy next to Naruto piped up.

Sakura sighed.

"Introductions." She mumbled, annoyed.

The pinkette stood up and grabbed my elbow.

"Everyone, this is Tenten. She's the new ... **_addition_**." Everyone blinked and all the way from the end of the table, Neji eyed me, annoyed.

Sakura started off at the end of the table and went down and around.

"Lee, Naruto, Kiba, Choji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Neji, Ino, Hinata, uh you and then me."

I nodded awkwardly then sat back down, noticing that Neji was rolling his eyes once more as he returned to his food.

"Sakura?" I asked. "How do you all know each other already?"

"Middle school." Sakura answered. "Everyone here went to the same school last year."

"What was that like?" I wondered aloud.

"Same." Sakura responded. "It was another boarding school by the same group this high school belongs to. It's located a couple of miles from here."

I nodded. Creepy.

oOoOo

Lunch went by too fast. I didn't even talk to everyone. Actually, Lee talked to me the most out of everyone besides Sakura.

I now had to go to Chinese. I took it last year so now I was in Chinese II. Everyone else was taking Spanish or some European language at my other school.

The class was located remotely near the lunch room so I was thankful. Getting there wasn't even a hassle.

In fact, I was early! Because I brought my notebook and pencil to lunch ... probably my first time thinking ahead.

When I arrived, I thought the classroom was empty so I skipped in, glancing around.

My attention was grabbed though by a popping noise ... bubblegum? I turned around and noticed a familiar bored face sitting in the back of the room.

"You!" I cried at Neji.

Another pop.

He sighed.

"Immature."

"Excuse me!" I demanded.

"I said immature. You fucking deaf?" He inquired, annoyed.

I wrinkled my nose.

"**_No_**. I'm not the one getting mad over everything and swearing." I told him, taking the seat a few spots in front of him, not too close.

He didn't respond.

The teacher walked in and noticed us.

"What are you rascals doing here so early?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Um ..." was my answer.

"Ni hao ma?"

The question from her took me by surprise.

"Oh uh ... Wo hen hao, xie xie." I replied.

The woman who was my teacher smirked.

"Ni jiao shen me ming zi?"

"Wo jiao Tenten, ni ne?"

"Anko-Sensei."

She seemed please with me so her eyes darted back to Neji.

"And you there," she addressed Neji. "Jin tian shi, ji yue, ji ri?"

Neji rolled his eyes, disrespect towards the teacher.

"Jin tian shi, si yue, wu ri." He replied, still highly annoyed.

**A/N: Translations will be in the Author's Note for those who don't speak Chinese xD I do.**

Anko-sensei nodded approvingly, eying both of us.

"Er ling yi yi nian." She concluded.

By now more students were filing in the classroom and the distance between Neji and me was beginning to feel closer than I'd liked.

oOoOo

"Okay." I sighed. That was definitely my favorite class now. Kurenai's was in second.

Next was something that I was rather eager for. Violin. This was my eighth year of violin and I loved to play it. That wasn't the only reason I was excited though. My new expensive violin was waiting for me in the music room. My mom had been kind enough to buy me a new one.

The music room was beautiful. I adored it actually. It was a big open space with maple wood floors and mostly windows for walls. The second floor. It was what I was marveling at earlier this morning. The decor of the room was absolutely beautiful ... the way the light came in.

By now during the day, I had almost completely forgotten about my encounter with the Devil. It was probably because the incident was so nightmarish that I had considered it a dream by now.

Iruka. That was his name.

My violin teacher, Iruka, was nice and strict. It was really hard to read his personality at times.

"Where are the others?" I asked him.

"You're far above them ..." Iruka explained. "Besides, we take private lessons here. This isn't **_orchestra_**."

I nodded, looking around the room.

"Did my new violin arrive?" I asked him.

Iruka nodded.

"Yeah, one minute."

He fumbled around in a delivery closet and pulled out a sleek black case.

Iruka set down the instrument and allowed me to open the case. Inside was a very beautiful violin that made my eyes sparkle. Even the bow was beautiful, with fresh horse hair.

I took out the brand new rosin and rubbed it over the bow hair, which I had just tightened.

Iruka nodded.

"Care to play a piece?" he asked.

So I played Canon in D. I memorized it a couple of years ago and it was still my favorite piece. My old violin teacher kept telling me it was too easy so she forced my to play the entire thing in third position and second position to make it harder.

When I finished, Iruka nodded once more.

"Here, now why don't you try playing this?"

oOoOo

Violin was another favorite of mine now. Simply because I loved playing my instrument. Iruka had given me a difficult piece to play and I would have to work on it some time tonight before my next class.

My last class was Biology, with the perverted teacher, Jiraiya. He was definitely smart but he needed to keep his eyes above the desks and not under them ... if you know what I mean.

The thing I liked about his class though was that I got to sit next to Sakura. It's not that I liked her a lot, but it was good to see a familiar face because Neji was also in this class and I wasn't happy about him being the only other person in the room that I 'knew'.

Still, I couldn't help but be relieved when the class was over. I now got to go back to my dorm and relax, probably play my violin. It was a relief that the day was over and I survived.

I stopped by the lunch room to buy whatever I was going to eat for dinner. I decided on some gyoza, a seaweed salad, and some mushrooms.

Before I left I stopped by the music room and grabbed my violin, then I headed back, stopping at my locker along the way.

I was happy to not run into anyone while wandering around because I was eager to get back to my dorm and settle in.

oOoOo

It took about an hour to get everything unpacked and situated. I placed my dinner in the mini fridge, put my toiletries in the bathroom, making sure that they were divided evenly between drawers, and the dispersed my clothes, sorting them out to decide which ones go in the closet and which ones in the dresser.

Once it was all finished, I pulled out my violin, set it up and took out my new sheet of music.

It was called Sakura, Sakura. The rhythm wasn't hard at all. It was the key and how I had to play it. It was all in third and second position switching often. Iruka had explained to me that in order to get the mute, sad feeling I had to switch into the different positions.

After playing for a half hour, hard work that made me sweat, I put my violin away.

Next, I grabbed my dinner from the refrigerator and ate in bed, making sure not to spill anything. I savored the food and was sad when it was all gone.

From my drawer, I pulled out baggy sweats and a lime green t-shirt that had a large logo saying "Hey, Say, JUMP!" Also I grabbed new underwear and my most comfortable polka dot bra. I dragged these into the bathroom, where I took the longest, most soothing shower ever.

When I was dried and comfortable in my baggy clothes, I brushed my hair, my teeth, and removed all traces of makeup from my face.

Then I made ridiculous faces in the mirror before leaving the bathroom.

The Devil was far away from my mind.

I took my iPod from my bag and laid in bed on top of the dawn comforter with the lights off. Light music blasted in the background. A song from the OST of the Korean Drama, "You're Beautiful". It was nice and relaxing as started to fall asleep.

I would do my homework the next morning. I knew it wouldn't take long.

It was only eight thirty. I had a long day though.

The songs started to blur which told me that it was time to fall asleep. So I set my iPod on my nightstand and began to fall asleep.

However ... it didn't last long. Twenty minutes later, about nine thirty, something made me wake up.

I felt my shirt get yanked up.

"Tenten ... get up!"

"Who the ..."

Whoever it was, they were pissing me off.

"Let go..." I mumbled annoyed,

"No ... you're coming with me to complete a task."

I rubbed my eyes and through the faint light I made out lavender eyes. Definitely not Hinata though. It w-

Shit. It was Neji. Wait ... what the fuck was he doing in my room?

"Wh-what?" I asked, scrambling up.

Neji let go of my shirt collar.

"Don't **_forget _**about the Devil." he said. "You are assigned to be my partner and we have a _**task **_to complete."

I bit my lip.

"I don't want to kill anyone." I told him.

Neji grabbed my arm and yanked me off my bed.

"Get dressed, we're leaving." He ordered.

I blinked.

"But I **_won't _**kill anyone." I told him firmly.

Neji whipped around to look at me.

"You don't have the right to talk about killing when you're lucky to even be alive. Now hurry **_up_**!"

* * *

**A/N: Yes! I've literally been writing this all day guys xD Thanks for waiting! It's getting intense isn't it? Anyway. Chinese translations:**

**Basically first Anko asks, Ni hao ma? It means How are you? and Tenten replies Wo hen hao, xie xie. It means I'm fine, thank you. Then Anko asks Ni jiao shen me ming zi? Which translate exactly into You call what name? Meaning What's your name? And Tenten replies Wo jiao, Tenten. I'm Tenten. The Anko asks Neji Jin Tian shi, ji yue ji ri. It means Today is which month and which day, referred to in English as What's today's date? Neji replies, Jin tian shi, si yue, wu ri. Today is fourth month, fifth day, meaning Today is April 5th. There's your Chinese lesson for today guys!**

**Message me if you want a link to the songs.**

**Thanks for reading guys and please review =)  
**


	4. Shackled

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 4: Shackled

I wasn't exactly sure what you were supposed to change into when you get kidnapped by an emotionless fifteen year old boy. The only thing I could really think of was my uniform, so I grabbed it and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut, not caring what Neji thought.

It was highly annoying that I had to get up from my comfortable bed in the middle of the night. I was really tired and my body ached. Also I had homework to do early in the morning the next day so you can imagine how **_great _**my mood was.

There was also fear too. I was scared that Neji would make me stab someone. I couldn't deal with death. I didn't like it and I didn't want anything to do with it. But that main reason I was scared was because this reminded me of the Devil once more. He was real and my encounter with him wasn't a dream ... no nightmare. It was a **_living _**nightmare.

"Hurry the hell up." Neji mumbled from outside the door. "How long does it take to change your damn clothes?" he demanded.

I sniffled. My uniform was still in my shaking hands. I hadn't even started to change yet.

"You're the one who's forcing me to get up and change." I told him, pissed. "So I can take however long I want!"

I heard Neji scoff from the other side of the door. I snorted back and finally changed out of my comfortable pajamas.

Next, I divided my hair into two parts. I put up to buns, one on the left side of my head and one on the right. I was too lazy to pin my bangs back so I just let them hang just above my eyes. I looked at myself in the mirror and quickly washed my face a few times to wake myself up. Then I put on some makeup, not to impress anyone or look good. I did it to remind myself that I wasn't going to be going to bed anytime soon. In fact, I had a strange premonition that sleep wasn't going to be in my schedule tonight.

"Are you done?" Neji demanded from the other side.

"Yeah," I grumbled, setting my toothbrush down, disappointed that I didn't get to clean my teeth.

I exited the bathroom and earned a funny look from Neji.

"What?" I asked, trying not to sound embarrassed. "What?"

"What the hell are you?" Neji questioned. "A panda?"

I twitched. A panda? No one had ever called me that before. What the heck did he mean by panda? I began touching my face and hair ... then realized it. My hair was in two buns, representing panda ears. It was such a rough image though.

"Excuse me." I mumbled, pushing past him.

I walked over to my closet and found my school shoes, black dress shoes. They matched the uniform. They were also the closest one to me. My tennis shoes were way in the back and my closet was dark. There was a light but it was too dark in my room to find the light switch.

"You can run in those?" Neji asked me.

I stuffed my feet inside of them.

"I'll manage," I remarked. "Like you'd care."

He didn't answer. Just started to blow bubbles with his gum.

"Are you ready, Panda?" He finally said.

I sighed. "Yeah I ready." From one of the chairs I grabbed a sweater. "Let's go then."

Neji rolled his eyes at me once more and grabbed my elbow, signaling me to faster than my nice walking pace that I was perfectly fine with. We got of out the building fast and we were already walking down the road that led away from the school.

"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked Neji, glancing around at the darkness. It would've been nicer if I'd remembered my glasses.

"A city just outside of Konoha." Neji replied, not glancing once at me.

"Why?" I inquired, not caring if he wasn't in the mood to answer questions. I wanted to know what the hell I was about to do.

"Because there is a piece of Devil there." Neji answered.

It was coming back to me now. That morning the Devil told me that people like Neji and I existed outside of the world, they had Devil in them and had to be "exterminated".

"Why do we need to kill?" I asked, curiously.

We stopped at what appeared to be a bus stop.

"Because," Neji said, annoyed again. "They'll start doing evil things. As the Devil in them grows, they will soon become consumed and be a Devil themselves, which **_the _**Devil will not like."

I paused.

"But is that our problem?"

Neji rolled his eyes again at me as if it was the most obvious answer.

"It will be our problem for two reasons." He explained. "One, the Devil will kill us if we don't kill them, because we **_have _**Devil in us. Two, if other people that aren't controlled have Devil in them, the world will break out into Chaos and **_everyone _**will die. The Devil definitely doesn't want that."

The bus came rolling around a corner in the distance.

"So ... what does he want?" I wondered, feeling a prick of fear.

"To torture and annoy humans with mind games."

I didn't really understand what Neji meant by that but the bus came so I stopped talking about the Devil.

We climbed on and I reluctantly picked the seat next to Neji. I was planning to sit across from him but someone already occupied that seat. Also it would probably put me at a disadvantage if I secretly needed to talk to him about something.

"So Neji ..."

"What?" He grumbled, rubbing his temples.

"Why are we taking a bus when we're going to assassinate someone?" I whispered.

Neji palmed his face numerous times.

"Just shut up." He informed me. "Please."

So I stopped talking. Still, I wondered why the hell we were taking a bus to our destination. Neji must've had a car, even if he was only fifteen. I highly doubted that, if he had killed many people before, driving without a license would be a problem.

After five minutes we were at a stop and I piped up.

"How much longer?"

"God. About ten minutes. Will you chill?" Neji turned his head from me and closed his eyes.

"Bipolar." I inaudibly muttered.

"Immature." Neji added.

Okay. There was no way he could hear that. I was practically mouthing the words.

I wished I had my iPod. Every time I ever rode in a car or was taking a ride somewhere I always listened to music. The deafening silence on the bus was killing me. It was like silent insanity. No one was talking. No one looked directly at one another. It was nearly ten also so it wasn't like it was that late, even if it was a Monday. It seemed as if everyone knew about the assassination.

"We're here." Neji announced as the bus screeched to a stop. He handed the driver about 1,000 yen and nodded for me to hurry and get off.

This was the first time that I noticed Neji's attire. He was also wearing his school uniform. His blue tie was loosely worn. His sleeves were rolled up once more. And his black dress pants covered his shoes, that I assumed were tennis shoes.

"Hurry." He plainly said, and I immediately followed.

I scurried after him, off the bus. We were in a desolate neighborhood. It was very quiet and dark. There was only one street light for the entire street.

"Which house?" I asked, feeling very nervous. My stomach was in knots and it felt as if butterflies were fluttering around.

"3245." Neji remarked.

We looked at the closest house. It was 3243.

"Come one." Neji ordered. "We're running."

I sprinted after his running body. He was fast, but so was I.

When I was younger and I got teased, this was when I was about eight, I used to just run it out. Sometimes I ran a few minutes, and other times I ran miles. My mother was driven insane every time that she had to come and find me because I never knew my way back. But running was such a stress reliever I got good at it. Everyone else complained about how tiring it got and how the breathing became hard but that wasn't for me. I thought the difficulty to breathe was refreshing and didn't think of it like pain. I lied to myself, saying it was the best feeling ever, and soon enough, it turned out to **_be _**the best feeling.

I was beside Neji, darting to the house. He glanced over at me for a slight instant, as if surprised that I could actually run, then he returned his attention to ahead of him.

We stopped abruptly in front of the destined house.

"Panda, I'm going to tell you what you're going to do." Neji explained.

"Stop calling me Panda." I grumbled.

"Okay, Panda." Neji answered. "You're going to **_lie _**to him."

"Excuse me?" I asked. "Lie?"

Neji nodded.

"Yes. While you distract him with a lie, I'll move in for the kill." Neji replied. "You said you didn't want to kill anyone. So just distract him."

I blinked. I was scared.

"I ... I can't **_lie_**, Neji! I'm probably the worst liar ever! How the hell am I going to LIE to him?" I demanded. Believe it. Tell him you can't lie and he'll believe-

"Tenten. You're lying right **_now_**."

I sighed.

"Shit."

"You're not the only one who can lie." Neji informed me with an eyebrow raised.

I crossed my arms, staring at him, unhappy.

"What am I supposed to lie about?"

Neji shrugged.

"I don't know. You're the expert 'liar'." He remarked.

"Oh thanks!" I cried.

Neji rolled his eyes me. Again. He must not take me seriously ever.

"Deal with it, Panda." He responded. "Just distract him enough so I can come up with a good enough plan to kill him. I've got experience so we're not going to lose in the end."

I crinkled my nose at his arrogance. Stubborn bastard.

"Alright fine." I said, even though it wasn't really fine. "Where is he anyway?"

Neji raised his eyebrow once more.

"Probably the **_bedroom_**?" he assumed.

I nodded. Duh.

"So what do I do if he tries to rape me?" I asked Neji.

"Don't worry Panda," Neji informed me. "With your body he won't want to."

"Neji!" I scolded, angrily. "That was mean."

He shrugged. "Are you gonna go or will we wait all night?"

"Fine." I grumbled. "What do I do? Just walk in the fricken door?"

Neji observed the house carefully. He strained his eyes.

"Yes." Was his reply. "There's no security system."

"And how do you know what?" I inquired.

Neji looked at me.

"I just know. So don't question it." He explained vaguely.

My lip curled and I pouted my lips annoyed. It was all to waste time so I didn't have to walk in as fast. I was stalling.

"Tenten, I know what you're doing." Neji informed me. "Will you hurry up?"

I glanced at the door. It wasn't that I was afraid to go in and face a man in his bedroom ... I was just nervous about the lie. What was I supposed to lie about? Normally when I made up a good lie, I hid the lie in facts and truth. I had no history for him. I didn't know his background. I couldn't generate a lie with personal things in it to generate his emotions to make him believe it ... so how was I supposed to get to him. Lies weren't based on luck. They were very logical things. You have to be an author and an actor in order to execute one ... but how would I execute such a thing without knowing a thing about him.

For a moment I thought about making something up about me, in order to get him to help me but I didn't know if he was crazy and didn't have any ounce of humanity left in him. He might be totally consumed by Devil at the moment. He might not even care about anything.

So what should I do?

"Are you going to go?" Neji pressed.

I finally nodded.

"Uh. Yeah."

I departed from Neji and walked up to the door.

"It's not locked?"

Neji nodded.

I breathed in and out nervously. _Just walk in. _It's okay. I just need to lie to him. Lying is my specialty.

My hand wrapped around the handle. My stomach was about to explode with all of the nerves running through it. I opened the door.

Inside it was dark and I started to creep through, trying to find the location of the staircase.

Something then suddenly surprised me. I swallowed. It was the lights. They flickered on.

"Bitch!"

I immediately started looking around the room. Who spoke? Who was it?

"I knew you were coming for me tonight! I know that uniform!"

It was coming from up ... up the stairs? I was panicking, so panicked that I just looked up.

Oh fuck no. He was on the chandelier.

I gasped, stepping backwards towards the door but tripped with clumsiness. My heart felt like it was beating a million miles an hours. I was terrified.

He dove from the chandelier, nearly landing on me.

I shrieked and rolled to my left, hardly missing his feet, which landed right by my shaking head. I scrambled upwards and balled my hands into a fist.

"You've been mistaken!" I cried. "I'm in the wrong house!" my voice sounded desperate, which was probably a good things because most assassins don't shout out that they got the wrong house. "Please, I'm not here to hurt you!"

"Yeah bitch nice try."

He was very tall and skinny. His Japanese was broken so he must've been from another country. I wasn't sure what one though. His blonde hair was covering most of his dark eyes. Black circles were visibly under them though as if hadn't heard of sleep.

"I **_know _**your school uniform. And I see your eyes. You **_work _**for the Devil."

His words were like a wake up call. Was I sinning? I was working for the Devil. It was probably Insta-Hell in a package. Oh shit. I couldn't deal with such things.

So I lied.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I shrieked. "I just got the wrong house so let me go!"

He hesitated, trying to decide if I was lying or not. It was what I wanted. A few seconds to think clearly.

I kicked him, square in the jaw. It wasn't what I planned on doing and it was stupid but I did it to escape.

Just as I reached the door handle, something grabbed my elbow, and it wasn't Neji this time.

Blondie snatched me and threw me against the ground. It hurt ... a lot and I knew that it was bound to be bruised there the next day. Next he punched me in the gut. At least it wasn't his foot but it still was very painful. I had never experienced such pain so it felt ... impossible.

_It doesn't hurt. Don't you dare think that it does!_

I lied to myself and for some reason I couldn't convince myself that it didn't feel painful.

His next hit was my face. It was actually a slap, hard on the cheek. He then grabbed me by my shirt collar and punched my face, my nose was hit so it bled and so was part of my eye. I thought I was going to go blind but even through the excruciating pain I could see, so that was a 'plus'.

I felt the blood from my face dribble down on my clothes and my entire body shook uncontrollably.

"You think you can kill me?" he asked. "Devil was stupid for sending a little gir-"

_Crunch_.

My fist was balled tightly and I slammed it into the side of his face, staining my knuckles in red.

He was about to jump on me when the door burst open.

Neji stood there arms crossed, eyes pissed. He strode over to the blonde man and kicked him in the side of the neck. And before the man could get up again, his head was kicked once more. Now it was bleeding uncontrollably.

"You will probably bleed to death if I leave you here." Neji informed the blonde. "But I'll just kill you right now."

I found myself closing my eyes, squeezing them so tight it hurt my punched eye immensely.

Sounds of choking filled the house and I wished I could go deaf for the next few minutes. It was obvious Neji was closing off the man's windpipe.

When the man stopped struggling and squirming I opened my eyes and realized I was crying. I wiped them before Neji walked over and I had to keep fighting the tears so I wouldn't cry again. It was hard though. The lump in my throat just kept growing.

"Tenten."

I looked up.

"H-Hai!"

"Let's go." Neji said.

I couldn't get up. I just sat on my ankles, motionless.

"If you want to sit and stare at his dead body that's fine. But I'm leaving." Neji stated blandly, popping his gum.

I nodded, grabbing the door handle for support while getting up. I gathered my strength and stood.

It took me moment to realize I was covered in blood. My hands, my face, my school uniform.

"Come on, Panda." Neji said, annoyed

I shakily followed him out the door and away from the house.

"We're just going to leave?" I asked him.

"Yes."

I listened to him, walking by his side.

"We're going to run." Neji told me. "The bus is almost at the stop."

I looked and saw he was right. The bus was coming down the street.

"Don't you think they'll think it's odd ... our appearance?" I questioned nervously while we ran.

Neji shook his head.

"They never do."

Sure enough, when we climbed onto the bus, no one looked at us strangely. It must've just been the late hour anyway. There were only "ghettos" on the bus. It was a quiet ride while I sat next to Neji. He was quiet, the others were. It felt so eerie.

While we sat on the bus, I had to keep my head tilted back because of my bleeding nose.

It was about eleven when we got back. Neji and I parted ways at the dorms.

"Tenten," he called. "You weren't bad but ...next time, make a more believable lie than that."

Then Neji left me and we went in separate directions for our dorms.

I was happy when I reached D124 that no one had noticed me or I'd be screwed. It was probably against school rules to go and assassinate someone past the bedtime curfew ...

Once inside my dorm, I immediately went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I was a mess. My bruises were just developing, especially the one on my eye, and cuts covered my body. Blood from my nose was still oozing out. My shirt was stained and my hands were covered in blood, which bothered me.

I started up a hot shower. When inside I carefully scrubbed every inch of my body, getting all the blood off. It stung quite a bit on my open wounds but it was the only solution I could think of. I didn't have any band aids or ointment for my cuts.

When I got out I used a brand new fluffy towel for this was my second shower of the night. My nose had finally stopped bleeding thank God. I rolled my neck several times and was actually thankful I didn't wear my glasses because they would probably be broken.

My long wet hair cascaded down my back. It dripped over the floor which I later had to clean up.

Because I changed quickly in the bathroom hours ago, my pajamas were still lain across the floor. I turned them right side in and achingly dressed myself. It was hard to lift my arms above my head even. Landing on them wasn't a good idea.

Once I got out of the bathroom and shut of the light, I just collapsed on my bed, too lazy to grab my iPod, so I just sang to myself. I was actually hungry but decided not to get because I was too lazy.

My phone was lying on the nightstand with the alarm set.

For some reason I was aching inside. It felt like the Devil had put me in shackles. Freedom seemed to be escaping me. Maybe this really was a prison ...

* * *

**A/N: Oh my gosh guys! I love writing this story! It's so much fuuuun! Happy Martin Luther King Day by the way too. I hope most of you students get the day off like I do =) Tomorrow is back to school. Blehhh. Ah oh well. Hope you're all enjoying this so far. It's mucho fun to write xD Haha and poor Tenten. She's getting tortured. -_- Thanks for reading guys and please reviewww!**


	5. Paint

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 5: Paint

My alarm went off to early that morning. My warm bed wasn't warm enough. 6 AM just wasn't working for me. So instead of getting up at six I slept in until seven. Then, I finally rolled out of bed. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was. That was because I wasn't very sore at all. Only one of my arms.

I slowly dragged my feet into the bathroom, rubbing my eyes and gathering the courage to look in the mirror. Sure enough, I had a black eye that looked a bit ugly. It made me frown. I should've gone out of my way to ice it last night. Now it was an awful bruise. The other bruises on my arms too had developed. Also the cuts on my face and body scabbed up so they looked like red scratches.

Groaning, I picked up the brush and began to comb through my tangled mess of long hair. It was very troublesome having to brush it all the way down to mid back. When I was younger the woman who cut my hair would always tell me, "Start from the bottom, and go up." It made perfect sense and was less painful ... but I never got in the habit in doing it because I was too lazy.

I set the brush down and looked at my bloody uniform lying on the ground. I made some unknown noise of disgust and picked it up wistfully. There was no way I was wearing it today. I only had one spare pair so if Neji took my on another trip tonight, I was screwed.

Picking up my hairbands, I put my hair into a high ponytail. There was no way I was putting my hair in two buns after the "Panda" calling incident.

When I changed, annoyingly looking at my battered body, I started searching through my book bag. I pulled out my granola bar and a mini bottle of water the size of my hand. Then I started stuffing myself with the food, making faces along the way.

I definitely didn't want to go to school.

The moment I washed the food down, I sat down with my back against the wall, taking in a deep breath. It was hard to believe what happened just yesterday and it felt like I was having a hangover, trying to recall all of the scenery I had observed. It's not that it was so unlikely that I couldn't believe it was true. Because it was such a scarring thing and I hadn't been affected like I should've ... that's why it was hard to believe. Right now, I figured I should be in a mental hospital. But instead of being scared and fearful or nervous, I was just pissed because I didn't get a good sleep and had a black eye.

I didn't want to think about it.

"iPod ... " I groaned, rolling over on the ground and crawling dramatically to my nightstand.

With my good arm and dragged my iPod onto the floor by the headphones. Music **_was _**the solution. I shuffled the song.

**A/N- You must listen while reading =)**

**www . youtube . com/watch?v=ldLLk-qofm8**

" _Sometimes, you walk alone_  
_You stop for a moment and take a look around_."

"Oh my God!" I shrieked. "It's A-Yo!"

A-Yo was my feel good song. It **_always _**made me feel better. Of course it was in Korean, but I obviously knew what it meant.

" _When you're tired of the feeling of being alone_  
_Follow me then, follow me, me, eh._"

It was Onew's part. His voice was so ... refreshing.

"Y_ou fall asleep alone again_  
_You try hard to doze off_  
_You close my worn out eyes._"

It reminded me of last night, sleeping with all of the pain.

"_ When you still can't sleep_  
_Because of the many, many thoughts_  
_Follow me then, follow me, me, eh._"

Also true. I was very full of thought.

"_ A-yo, when it's tough_  
_Doong tah dak, lean on the rhythm, oh_  
_With our song for you_  
_Everyone a-yo, everyone a-yo_."

I was now singing in the Korean. This song made me feel so much better. Just the rhythm mad me want to smile.

"_A-yo, when you can't sleep_  
_Tap brush it off, leave it to the rhythm, oh_  
_With the anticipation of the unfolding tomorrow_  
_Everyone a-yo, everyone a-yo._"

So I was singing along and I got up. I danced around the room, despite the pain in my arm and started doing random air kicks.

"A-yo, a-yo!" I sang loudly and out of tune, despite being a great singer. My throat was too sort to even try.

It was much easier to wake up that morning because of A-yo. I picked up my room, ate another granola bar, and did some stretching to loosen up my aching arm. Then I bounced on my bed for probably ten minutes, jamming out to Lady Gaga. I didn't understand much because it was all in English but I could pick out a few sentences. Even though I spoke Japanese, I was learning to speak Korean, Chinese, and English at the same time.

It was now 7:40 ish. So I finally sat on my bed and pulled out my bright green smart phone. I started to look up one of my favorite animes. Kodocha. It was my breakthrough point as a child. I was about twelve years old when I saw it. The main character was a girl named Sana. I'd seen her in music videos before and didn't think she'd appeal to me. But, after the first episode, she immediately became one of my favorite anime characters of **_all _**time. She was always hyper and light about things. She spoke her mind and was a very strong person. In the anime she was twelve and thirteen and just watching her began to make me more social and open. She was always Ultra Relaxed.

Ultra Relax was the name of the opening song in Kodocha. At first I thought it was a bit weird. Then after I watched all 102 episodes I realized I was in love with the song. So I downloaded the full version and found myself singing in the bathroom. It literally made me change into more of an extroverted person, which in my context, was a very good thing. It also helped me be more chill about things, being Ultra Relaxed about everything.

_"I'm ULTRA-RELAXED_  
_BEAUTIFULLY, unbeatably RELAXED_  
_Just a slightly odd DELUXE_  
_Scatterbrained but_  
_When you call me, "BAN BAN BAN BAN BANG!"_

So of course I had to watch the opening. On my phone, I skipped to one of my favorite episodes. Actually about five.

Ahem:

_"I am an Indian!" - Sana._

_"You look more Arabian than Indian ..." -Akito._

_"I **am **an Indian ... I have incense and everything!" -Sana._

_"Put that stuff away. You're going to make me pass out."-Akito._

_"What are you talking about? I'm the disguise mastaaa! AKITO YOU NEED A FAKE BEARD!"-Sana._

_"I think not."-Akito._

I looked at the clock after watching my seventh favorite part of Kodocha. It was about eight.

"I suppose I better leave." I mumbled, standing up, rubbing my shoulder.

I set my phone inside of my book bag. My glasses were found in the bathroom under a towel. It took me a million years to clean them because some awkward gunk was all over them. Whatever the hell that was ... it was some unknown substance to mankind.

Carefully, I put my bag on my other shoulder and then looked into the mirror. I applied makeup to my eyes, and slowly on my black eye. I wanted to cover up some of the bruises with makeup but there wasn't enough time and it would end up looking odd.

Sighing, I put on my glasses and then my shoes. After that I grabbed my homework that I still didn't do and walked out the door.

As I walked down the hallway, with my headphones in my ears, I struggled to write on the paper my answers. Algebra II wasn't too hard because we only had five problems. They were insanely hard because I couldn't deal with such inequalities but I didn't really care. That was finished by the time I entered the school. Then I started to do Honor's Japanese. It was finished pretty quickly by the time I reached my locker. That was simply because I had such a vast vocabulary and was often describing situations with difficult overly long extended words.

It wasn't that hard to get around now. All I need yesterday was just to **_find _**my classes first. Then they'd be in my memory actually. _Cough cough. Shizune. Cough. Sakura. _Since they obviously seemed to know the school much better than I did.

I set my beloved book bag in my locker and pulled out my Algebra notebook and Totoro pencil once more. It was surprising that no one had stopped me because of my face. Sure I had gotten **_tons _**of stares but no one had to the gets to actually ask, "What the hell happened?"

Algebra was pretty nice that day. It was about a ten minute lesson and the rest of the fifty minutes was work time. You had to be stupid to not finished at least ten minutes early. There were only fifteen problems. I finished in about twenty minutes, so predictably, I wrote down my Chinese homework in my Algebra notebook and tore out the page. We just had to write down **_all _**our family members in Chinese. Pin Yin and characters. It was only a little annoying because they have separate names for your mom's parents and your dad's parents and your mom's brothers and sisters (your aunts and uncles) and your dad's brothers and sisters. And not only that but there was older and younger aunts and uncles on each side. So your mom's side older aunt is different from your mom's side younger aunt, which are both different from your father's side ...

Talk about confusion.

I even talked to Hinata a couple of times. She kept giving me odd looks, staring at my injuries. I had expected Shikamaru to say something too, but he was just staring at me boredly, as if reading everything about me. It should've creeped me out but ... something about Shikamaru was just relaxing.

In Honor's Japanese. I was happy that Kurenai asked me to share my words with the class.

Cut - Incise

Plain - Unadorned

Fall - Descend

Laugh - Cackled/Hoot (Hoot was an inside joke, because it was one of my fave. songs)

Bow- Steep

After Japanese, I just about died in Geography but miraculously survived somehow. We were talking about some serious shit I didn't care about. Some awkward phenomenal business that was going on with out Earth. I mean, I knew that it will suck when the Earth ends ... but that was supposed to be years and years from now. No offense to the things living on this Earth then but ... I wouldn't exactly be **_alive _**so ... my interest wasn't very peaked.

Lunch was a relief. I had actually brought my wallet and it was in my locker so that was good. What I got that day was a bowl of Ramen and one Onigiri ball. When I was picking up my chopsticks Sakura caught my eyes and then she totally freaked ... like legit freaked.

"Tenten!" The pink haired girl sped over to where I stood, currently grabbing the chopsticks.

"Yes?" I asked, then remembered my appearance.

"He didn't, did he?" Sakura demanded.

"Did what?" I wondered, figuring she implied Neji.

"He did ... didn't he?" Sakura was tweaking out.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You okay?"

Sakura bounced around like a maniac, barely avoiding her food that was flying everywhere.

"No ... I'm not ... **_okay_**!" She cried, tugging at her hair.

"Alright ..." I trailed off, walking to my seat at their lunch table.

Sakura followed me and before I sat down she grabbed at my ponytail.

"Tell me those bruises wasn't from and assassination." Sakura pleaded.

I sighed.

"You know I can lie so what's the point in asking?" I told her.

"Oh God." She muttered. "Imma **_kill _**Neji."

I pattered her on the shoulder.

"You do that."

Then I sat down next to Naruto.

"Oh hey, Tenten!" He greeted nicely.

Neji was diagonal from him.

I glared at him, expecting an acknowledgment of some sort.

He finally looked up, chewing his gum.

"Oh. It's Panda." That was all he said.

My eye twitched and I was ready to pummel him but Naruto stole my attention.

"So Tennie-chan," Naruto immediately nicknamed. "How'd you get the black eye?" His curiosity was high.

I raised my eyebrows and turned to Neji.

"You can ask him."

Naruto turned to Neji.

"Don't know." Neji shrugged. "Wasn't there."

I sighed. Technically he wasn't there at the moment when I had gotten the shit beaten out of me ... but still. He probably heard it and wasn't fast enough.

"Probably because someone **_took _**too long making the **_plan_**." I muttered, which was directed towards the Hyuuga.

Neji popped his bubblegum and stared at me with bored eyes.

"Fuck you." He said plainly, then returned to reading a book that I hadn't even noticed before.

"Tennie-chan, don't listen to that stupid baka." Naruto told me firmly, nodding many times. With a smirk he added, "You can chill with me. I'm really the best here."

Hinata who was sitting across from him blushed and looked to the side. Naruto didn't notice but Sakura and I did. It aroused my suspicious and I began to believe that Hinata like Naruto.

I broke my wooden chopsticks and began to slurp up my Ramen sloppily.

"Oh my God!" Naruto exclaimed. "They have Ramen today!"

I raised and eyebrow again. That poor child.

"Naruto. They have Ramen everyday."

Even though he was an idiot, I was beginning to like this kid. He Sakura and Hinata so far were my friends. I wasn't sure about Ino. She might've just been warning me the other day about Neji.

"But I don't have any money to buy ..." Naruto sadly showed me his empty frog money pouch.

I sighed and grabbed his arm. Even if it would cost me an extra 700 yen, it was worth it because I was being "nice".

"Come on." I mumbled. "I'll buy."

Naruto squealed excitedly while I brought him up to the lunch line and showed him the different types of Ramen I'd buy him. I wasn't going to get him the jumbo bowl and fricken 1000 yen (about ten dollars)

I gave Naruto the money and waited behind for change when the boy Kiba walked up to me.

"Hmm..." He said, touching my black eye. "That doesn't look too good."

I nodded.

"Obviously." was my response.

Kiba raised an eyebrow and then ruffled my hair.

"Such a cute newbie." He commented with a smirk. "Nice to meet you."

I nodded, not really paying attention to how he messed up my ponytail.

After lunch, I was in Chinese, which is where I spent most of my time making faces at Neji, who just rolled his eyes at me while he chewed his gum. Anko, who was watching us, smirked the whole time and didn't get me in trouble for turning around to stick my tongue out at the was highly amused.

Violin after that was very fun. It was challenging but the young teacher, Iruka was very useful. The way he was associated with music and how it came so naturally to him was amazing. He knew all of the techniques and tricks to everything. Any question about the violin could be answered by him. He must be a prodigy.

We worked on _Sakura, Sakura. _and I learned how to quickly change shifting positions when moving from string to string more efficiently and also if there was a bow lift during the process to keep it from vibrating awkwardly.

Then after violin, I suffered immensely in Biology, trying to avoid Jiraiya's strange stares. Neji was boredly chewing his gum because the teacher neglected the boys mostly, which I found slightly amusing.

oOoOo

The entire week, my relationship with Neji hadn't improved, in fact I think that it worsened. He was getting more and more annoyed with me the more he got to know me. However, with Sakura and Hinata, I was beginning to become good friends with them. Ino, I wasn't exactly sure. She wasn't mean to me at all, but she wasn't overly friendly. She was like an acquaintance. Kiba and Naruto became good guy buddies, along with Lee, who I found overly hyper. Shino and Choji I really didn't know because I only had one class with each of them. And Shikamaru ... he was just there, giving me random advice and not taking much notice. Then there was Sasuke and I was convinced he was emo, darkly looking at everything and mumbling about all of the things he hated, including Naruto.

Most of my bruises faded by Friday besides my black eye which was still there but more faint. Most of my cuts healed an my arm stopped aching, though it still didn't feel quite the same as before. My mood was pretty good though. Neji wasn't forcing me on any other assassination missions ... so far. And I hadn't had any visits with the Devil.

But that was another thing. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get anyone to talk about it. Everything I wanted to know was still buzzing around in my head. I was kind of pissed about it but in a sense, it was good because part of me knew that I probably didn't want to know anymore and it was better that I was clueless. Being scared was a bad thing and I didn't like it very much. So I kept quiet about my slight displeasure about being misinformed.

oOoOo

On Saturday morning, I woke up a bit late. Around 9:30 AM. I looked around the room and made some decisions, inspired by looking at objects around me. I could either go home today and chill with my neighbors and see my mom and everyone else ... or I could go shopping and deck out my dorm with sweet stuff and amazing colors. Both options sounded **_pretty _**tempting but ... decorating was the way to go. I had already texted my mom all week, keeping her informed of my whereabouts, completely excluding Monday night.

So why not redecorate my room?

I whipped out my phone and decided to text Sakura about my idea. Over the week I had gotten pretty much everyone's phone number. Lee and Shino didn't have phones though. Lee offered to give me his home phone but I "kindly" declined. Neji on the other hand, refused to give me his number.

_Me: Sakura! Guess what I'm gonna do?_

_Sakura: . . . what?_

_Me: REDECORATE MY ROOM! *hearts*_

_Sakura: Hmm...sounds pretty sweet. You **know **that I'm coming over._

_Me :Ohhh ... I don't knooow ..._

_Sakura :YOU CAN'T JUST TELL ME THEN NOT ALLOW ME TO HELP!_

_Me :Lolz. I'm kidding. Chillaaax child xD_

_Sakura :What time should I come?_

_Me :Mmm...twenty minutes. Me get Hinataaa?_

_Sakura: Yeshh! Do ittt!_

_Me :Kayy. See you sooooon,_

I stretched and got out of bed, setting my phone on the nightstand. I walked to the closet yawning and observed my things. Puffing my lips out, I tried to decide what to where ... In the end I chose to where yellow skinny jeans and a pink over sized sweatshirt that had the character 'Ai' (love) in rainbow letters_. _Then I slipped my feet into Osiris shoes and walked into the bathroom where I put my hair into two french braids that went down to about my chest.

It took me a couple minutes to apply light makeup because I kept messing up. So I just went with mascara and top eye liner. Hey. What was I supposed to say? I was a typical girl.

Then when I was done, I put my cellphone in my jeans pocket and put my headphones around my neck and my iPod in my sweatshirt pocket.

I met Sakura and Hinata outside of my room a few minutes later. Since Hinata's hair was shoulder length she had a cute, super short ponytail in and Sakura had her light pink hair in a stylish, jeweled headband that reflected lots of light.

We took the bus to a market in Konoha where they were selling house supplies to get paint for my room.

"What color do you want?" Sakura asked, staring at the rainbow of paints.

"Color?" I raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean color**_s_**?"

Sakura chuckled.

"Alright then." She confirmed. "Color**_s_** it is. Which ones do you want?"

"Mmm." I stared at the colors and went around Hinata who kept staring at one of the blues. "How about-" I pointed to the sky blue she was looking at. "That for the ceiling. The green for one wall, pink for the next, orange for the next wall, and yellow for the last one?"

"Lots of colors." Hinata commented.

I nodded.

"Sounds good." Sakura informed me. "We'll have fun painting the ceiling."

I smirked. "We shall."

Hinata carried the blue. I carried the orange and yellow. Sakura carried the green and light blue. No one looked awkwardly at us on the bus.

I was happy that they were all light colors. The blue, obviously resembled the bright blue sky. The green was lime green, very light. It was a light pink, but still styling. And the yellow reminded me of a banana ... =) I was chillin' when it came to colors.

When we finished dragging the colors back to the door, Sakura pulled out the blue tape and we taped the sides and edges of the room. Doors, windows and all. We moved the furniture to the middle of the room. Thankfully it was a wood floor with two fluffy rugs, that I had also bought at the market.

Typically, while we did all of this we were jamming out to music. Except the music we were listening to was very happy. Walking on Sunshine, Kissing You, Strawberry Swing, Chocolate Love, Hit Me Up, and of course Ultra Relax.

Finally it was time to pull out the brushes. Hinata had grabbed paintbrushes from the supply room in the school while Sakura and I were taping. We each took one and decided to mentally prepare ourselves for the big job, which could like turn into a fail.

"Yosh! Let's do this!" I bounced up and down with my brush that was dipped into the lime green.

"Oh yeah." Sakura added. "I'm ready."

We attacked the walls painting all over them. My first strokes were crappy because I had never officially painted anything before ... in my life. A wall that is. But after a while, I was getting the hang of it and the painting started to get really fun, especially with my iPod playing in the background and our playful jokes that we were casting upon each other.

Then once about half of each of our walls were finished, it kind of turned into a paint fight. Sakura accidentally splashed me, I put some green on her, it also got on Hinata ... soon enough we were giggling like crazy, splashing each other with paint. Luckily the floor was covered with an old white sheet and none of the paint got on the wrong wall ie: green paint getting on the pink wall.

During our little mini fight the door opened and Neji popped in with an eyebrow raised.

"Um ..." he stared at us.

I had a few splotches of paint on my cheeks and my clothes were covered in a mixture of pink and orange paint. I blinked a few times.

"Care to join, Neji?" I asked. "We need someone to paint the yellow wall!"

Neji stood there.

"No thanks." He was about to leave but I grabbed his arm and pulled him into my messed up dorm.

"Come on." I said, wondering why he even came in anyway. "You can pain that wall yellow."

Neji crossed arms.

"No." he said in a stoic tone.

"Neji." I told him. "You came so you have to do it!"

He rolled his eyes.

"No I don't."

I crinkled my nose. That guy ...

"Non-optional." I grabbed the yellow brush and forced it into his hands. "That wall. Mess up and I kill you."

"Was that supposed to be an oxymoron?" Neji asked me.

Then I realized what I just said. "kill you". Me + killing = no.

"Just do it." I grumbled.

Neji reluctantly walked to the wall and started painting, to my pleasure. He was surprisingly good too. It was probably because he was guy though. Guys were supposed to be good at such things. Not that I was being sexist or anything ... but he was good at painting.

Neji finished the yellow wall before we finished ours. So he left. I tried making him stay but failed. It didn't really care in the end because he was just a jerk.

After we were done ... we struggled to get the three ladders from the school. Obviously they don't trust three assassins with ladders. Kidding. They didn't know we were assassins ... that would be good. I was pretty sure killing people was enough to get one expelled.

With the blue we painted most of the ceiling except in some places we painted the outlines of big fluffy clouds. It was nice and dreamy and I loved it.

After we cleaned up the tape and excess supplies we decided I would stay at Sakura's dorm that night because of my drying room ... then decided it would be a sleepover so Hinata stayed over that night too.

Painting sure was great.

* * *

**A/N: Ah. That is my dream room by the way. I wish my room was like that. It'd be totally legit. Anyway. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter is was pretty fun to write. Tuesday's are great. They're like my day off. Well, I have school but now activities outside of school. It's awesome. So that's why I was able to update quick today too. Frankly this story is my favorite story so far that I've written. I don't think I've ever had so much fun ...**

**=) Thanks for reading and please review! Tell mehh how I'm doing!**

**(ask if you want song links)  
**


	6. China

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 6: China

I wasn't sure how I would explain to my mom that I wasn't coming back for the rest of the weekend. It was already Sunday. She expected me to be back yesterday and I neglected texting her. But, while Sakura. Hinata and I were lying on the floor at nine in the morning, gossiping as girls typically do(not bad gossip) my mother, Yuri, texted me. She was tweaking out over nothing. Well, perhaps it was a little more than 'nothing' but still.

So I told her that I made some friends and was still settling into my dorm. There were actually a couple reasons I wasn't coming over. One, I was afraid Neji would get all pissed if I wasn't here for one of his assassinations. Two, it was already fricken Sunday. I wasn't going to go for the day. Even if it only was twenty minutes away ... call me cruel and lazy but I didn't want to.

And so I didn't.

"What do you want to eat?" Sakura asked, bored.

"Mmm..." I mumbled. "Some food."

"Oh great. You're so specific." Sakura remarked.

There was a pause.

"What do you have?" Hinata inquired, glancing over at Sakura.

"Waffles!" Sakura exclaimed.

That sounded like a **_really _**good idea at the moment. In fact, I really felt like eating waffles. The light fluffy kind ...

"Yes!" I agreed, nodding excitedly. "Please!"

Sakura bounced up and cried, "Homemade waffles too!"

She ran into the closet and threw many things out including several pots and pans. In our dorms we didn't have a stove or oven. We had a mini fridge though and a microwave. But Sakura pulled out from her mass of things a giant pan ... no. It was a waffle maker.

I smirked. This sounded delicious.

"Music?" I asked my two friends, pulling out my iPod from under my pillow.

Hinata nodded and Sakura grunted in approval. She was struggling to pull out the cord of the waffle maker that was tangled in many odd things that I couldn't quite recognize.

I put my MP3 player in the docking station and started to search for a playlist.

"KPOP playlist guys," I informed them.

"KPOP?" They repeated.

I nodded.

"Korean pop!"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Okay, Tenten, you do that."

So I did.

The first song that came on was Wedding Dress but I was too depressed so I switched it and Replay (Pretty Noona) came on and I started to smile. SHINee always seemed to make me do that. SHINee was the name of the band. I often claimed that they made my life.

So Replay was playing while Sakura, Hinata, and I struggled to make the batter. Then NU ABO came on for the rest of the time we were making the batter and I started singing loudly.

"Nu ABO! MYSTERY! MYSTERYYY!" Then something in Korean. "HYSTERIC! HYSTERIIIIIC!" Then something else in Korean.

"Must you sing so loud?" Sakura demanded, whipping up the batter, slightly annoyed. "God. People are going to come over and wonder what the hell is going on over here."

Then just as she was speaking A-Yo came on and ... well you can imagine.

Finally though when we managed to complete the batter, we made Hinata's first, which turned out to be a total fail because we turned it to early and one side was like oozing raw batter. So we had to make more batter and then finally made a perfect one for Hinata.

I was next and then Sakura. It only took about ten minutes for all of us after the dilemma though, so we were kind and waited for everyone to get food.

"Itadakima-"

I interrupted Sakura.

"Wait!" I had cried.

She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"... do you have any whipped cream?"

So we added whipped cream, sprinkles, strawberries and powdered sugar on our waffles. It was pretty amazing. At first I thought it tasted too sweet but after a couple of bites it started tasting really good ... then it got super addicting and I had another giant pancake.

My perfect meal was interrupted by the ringing of my cellphone.

_"Ring ding dong ring ding dong, ring dinga ding dinga ding ding ding!"_

SHINee's 'Ring Ding Dong' echoed throughout Sakura's dorm.

"KPOP song." I informed my two friends.

I looked at the caller ID and it was someone who wasn't on my contacts. Then I observed the number and realized that I didn't know it. It was my area code but I didn't recognize the rest of the digits. I thought it would be mean if I didn't answer to tell them that they had the wrong number. So I picked up.

"Hello?" I asked, curiously.

"Oi. Panda."

I frowned.

"Neji ... how the **_hell _**did you get my number?" I demanded. "You didn't give me yours so how do you have mine?"

"I'm allowed to have yours." He replied.

"Oh what ... I'm **_not _**allowed to have yours?" I grumbled.

"Only if I do allow you."

I frowned.

"Just ... tell me what you want!"

"You're coming with me." Neji informed me.

"Yeah? Where the hell ... wait what?" I was very confused.

"We have to go assassinate someone in China. You are **_coming _**with me." Neji said.

I paused, trying to take in the information.

"But ... school?" I demanded.

"It's a Sunday." Neji answered.

"Hell, I **_know _**it's a Sunday." I retorted. "Tomorrow is a **_Monday_**!"

"And?"

"Neji we have school tomorrow and what are we going to do about that?" I asked him.

"We'll be back by then." Neji remarked.

Sakura and Ino stared at me in confusion while I ate my waffle loudly, trying to annoy Neji.

"So we fly three hours to China, kill someone, then fly three hours back?" I assumed.

"Yes."

"That's insane!" I exclaimed, nearly choking on my waffle and spilling it all over my sleeping bag.

Sakura was trying to take my phone so she could yell some not so nice curse words at Neji.

"You're coming." Neji said. "Hurry up and coming to the front of the dorms in twenty minutes."

_Click._

I crinkled my nose, looking down at my phone.

"Sorry guys." I told them. "I'm going to China with Neji."

I quickly rolled up my sleeping bag, which turned out to be sloppy, and then chewed up the rest of my waffle. I gathered up my things and began to leave.

Sakura pouted.

"Aw. We don't want our Tennie-chan to leave us." She complained, outreaching her arms.

I hugged her and Hinata quickly then ran out the door, giving them a last wave of goodbye.

Back at my dorm, I packed my book bag with about ten granola bars and lots of water. I put in my brush, iPod, iPod charger, some manga books and other necessities. It hadn't even occurred to me at the time of packing that I was going with Neji, **_alone_**.

I changed into light blue skinny jeans and an orange shirt that had the fruit orange on is and it said in English, j u i c y.

Also, I made sure to put in an extra change of clothes, just in case my currents ones would ever get covered in blood. Which, by the way, was very hard to get out of my uniform. I probably washed it three or four times throughout the week until it finally faded, the blood.

I was also lucky that I brought my passport. Extremely lucky. I just hoped my mom never looked at my flights.

With my book bag over my shoulder, I exited the dorm at an unkindly fast pace.

Neji waited outside, impatient. He was leaning against a wall, eyes closed and gum in his mouth.

"Take long enough?" He mumbled.

I rolled my eyes, his signature move, and poked him.

"You're the one sleeping."

"Don't touch me."

"Are we leaving?" I asked him.

"Yes."

Neji grabbed his plaid bag off of the ground and started walking. He was wearing faded jeans and bright green and white striped tuxedo shirt. He cleaned up nice for a bastard.

I think when we were on the bus, people were often mistaking us for a couple. I saw a little girl making a heart with her two hands at the two of us. Neji pretended not to notice by 'sleeping'. I just sighed and looked away, trying not to be mean, but also trying not to confirm the young kid's suspicion.

oOoOo

The local airport was bustling as usual with business people of course. It wasn't exactly vacation time yet in the average family world. Still, men and woman with suitcases and laptop bags were running all over the place, trying to catch flights.

Yet with all of that, Neji and I walked throughout the airport as if we owned it. It was probably because Neji was forcing me to wear shades. They were legit ones too. Extremely cool aviators that made me want to pose in front of a mirror.

"You know my mom will kill me if she ever finds out." I told Neji.

"Is that my problem?"

"Well what about your parents?" I questioned.

Neji pursed his lips, but didn't respond quickly.

"The security line is over there." He said, changing the subject.

_Okay, note to self: Never talk about Neji's family._

At first I was nervous about security check point. Normally I was always stopped for one simple thing. They took my toothpaste from me one year and I had a huge fit. I was lucky that I remembered all the water I had packed previously and took it out. It ended up getting confiscated but I'd just buy more when we got inside the shopping area.

oOoOo

"How many fucking waters are you going to buy?" Neji asked me, highly annoyed.

"A lot." I told him, holding the four waters.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm in a not friendly way and guided me to the gate. We sat by the entrance. Well, at least he bought me tickets ... wait.

I wasn't even sure if he bought them. What if the Devil did? Could he do things like that?

My Wild Imagination:

_"Uh, yeah I'm the Devil."_

_"..."_

_"I would like to buy some, uh, plane tickets."_

_"..."_

_"Oh come on, amigo, I'm sending my assassins to kill someone..."_

Yeah. It wasn't playing out well in my head.

"We are now boarding!" A voice called over.

Neji and I ended up having the worst seats on the plane. We were all the way in the back of a 7-47 by the bathrooms.

While we sat and waited for the plane to take off, I whipped out my cellphone and looked up SHINee. I began to watch their live performance of Jojo. Neji peeked over my shoulder curiously, with one eyebrow raised. He sighed and shook his head slowly.

"Gay."

"Excuse me?" I wondered, angrily. "You're the gay one with the super long hair!"

Neji's eyebrow quirked again.

"Gay?" He repeated.

"Gay." I confirmed.

Neji ignored me for the rest of the plane ride. Literally. For three hours I suffered through boredom. Even with my iPod, things were incredibly boring. There was too much turbulence for my liking and I often had to go to the bathroom but since Neji had the aisle seat, he refused to allow me out so I had to hold it.

So I went to sleep for the last hour and finally woke up when we were on the ground. Neji was tugging on my ponytail. My hair was in one super high ponytail that hung on the right side of my face.

"Panda. Get up." He said. "We're here."

"Here?" I asked.

A voice on the loudspeaker rang over our heads.

"Thank you for flying." It said. "And welcome to Shanghai!"

* * *

**A/N: Oh sorry guys. I made a short chapter but I have to go to bed right now! I originally was gonna fit the entire China assassination into one chapter but I didn't plan on having a three page Geometry homework and our Science review session after school -_- Gomeeeeen! But review anyways because I love you =)**


	7. Lies that Work

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 7: Lies that Work

"I don't speak fricken Chinese!"

Neji stared at me.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He questioned.

I situated my bag and then remembered what I had just screamed to the world.

"Oh ... right ... _Wo hen hao_." It means 'I'm alright'.

"_Bu dui._" Neji replied. It made me frown. In other words he was telling me, 'No.'

We walked of the plane and I glared at Neji the whole time, he just ignored me while chewing his gum that appeared out of nowhere. I wandered where the hell he got so many pieces anyway. He had to throw it away at the security. Magically he some more.

"Can I have a piece?" I asked him.

"No."

"Why not?" I grumbled while we put our shades back on.

"Because."

I didn't try asking him **_that _**again.

"So why doesn't the Devil have anyone in China?" I wondered, feeling it was odd that he was sending us to such a place on a Sunday.

Neji rolled his eyes as if I knew nothing.

"Because ... He doesn't trust anyone in China. Everybody is monitored." He explained, a grimace appearing on his face.

I glanced around then turned back to him.

"... and that means?" I still didn't quite get it.

"There are people in the Chinese government that know." Neji told me. "They know exactly **_who _**has Devil in them and they prevent those people from killing."

I blinked.

"They're being watched?" I guessed.

Neji clicked his tongue.

"Precisely," He confirmed. "Don't worry about it, Panda. We'll be in and out before they catch us."

I bit my lip.

"Who in the government?" I inquired nervously, while we rode down an escalator inconspicuously.

Neji chewed his gum cautiously before answering.

"Someone who isn't even known to the people." He answered.

I still looked at him waiting for an answer.

"An adviser."

I rolled my eyes.

"You're kidding me right!" I exclaimed. "An adviser?"

Neji nodded.

"He and the president are old childhood friends. Yet, the president doesn't know." He said.

"Patronage," I muttered with disgust.

"Calm down, Panda." Neji told me. "You're getting annoying. It's not like it's patronage when the job is only an adviser but, yes technically it **_is_**."

I sighed and looked around.

"Where are we going anyway?" I questioned.

Neji spun my shoulders around to double doors where taxis were revealed on the other side.I was curious because I had never been to China or been in a Chinese taxi. It seemed really interesting too.

"You have to be careful." Neji informed me.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Counterfeit." Neji told me. "They'll give you counterfeit." he elaborated.

"Wh ... what?"

"So we give back counterfeit." Neji retorted.

"Come on, **_honey_**." Neji said.

"What?" I demanded, staring at him.

"Don't you remember? I'm your boyfriend." Neji hissed through his teeth.

I still had no idea what he was talking about. All I knew was that I didn't remember **_once _**agreeing to being his girlfriend.

"What ..." I mumbled.

"Honey let's get in the cab." Neji touched his sunglasses and I finally understood.

Disguises. We were being watched.

I glanced around several times. I couldn't locate who was watching us. Neji obviously knew. He saw them and quickly reacted because he was now talking in only Chinese.

His arms suddenly encircled around me and I felt his hot breath in my ear.

"Act natural. I think they've figured out who we are." Neji quickly explained quietly. "We've been tracked the whole time."

I was shivering. For two reasons. Neji was being very close and his touch was a factor. Also the fact that we were being hunted. That was a more fearful thought than the first and I knew that I was supposed to conceal my emotions so they wouldn't suspect our disguise.

Neji pulled away and grabbed my hand.

As he pulled me into the cab, I made out a Chinese person in a black suit with a cellphone. The one who had been watching us. I only hoped that he hadn't heard the bit about using counterfeit money or we would be in more serious trouble.

I sat close to Neji and wandered what he was planning.

"Xin Hu Club." He told the driver who nodded.

While he drove around the busy streets of Shanghai I tried to take in as much China as possible. It was hard because I was slightly terrified at the moment so sightseeing wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would be. I was worried about being killed or caught. If I was caught not only would I be in huge trouble but my **_mom_** ... she would be beyond pissed.

Neji searched through his wallet and pulled out a few bills when we arrived at our destination. I stared at him curiously, wondering if they were really counterfeit.

The driver didn't gave any change for there wasn't any.

Outside, it smelled slightly different from Japan and it was just not the same. It wasn't necessarily bad just something to get used to. The club was huge and Xin Hu was printed in big, bright red Chinese characters just above the big front door.

When the driver drove away I asked Neji, "Did you really give him counterfeit money?"

"No." Neji replied. "I would've if I had been more attentive and realized earlier that we were being watched." He glanced around as if making sure once more. "They know we're Japanese."

I swallowed hard and gripped my bag nervously.

"Come on," Neji said, putting his arm around my shoulder.

I shifted uncomfortably.

"And Tenten," Neji added. "Don't even think about mistaking this for the real thing." He said. "Not a chance in the world I could ever like you."

With that, he pulled an angry and embarrassed me into the club of people.

"How we supposed to find the person?" I cried over the loud, booming speakers.

Neji slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a torn photo.

I glanced at the picture memorizing his face the handed it back to Neji.

"Don't need it." He muttered. "Let's go."

So we walked around the club. I thought I was going to go deaf from the music. In fact I was getting extremely annoyed ... until ...

"I now this song!" I exclaimed.

Neji dropped his arm, annoyed.

"Oh yeah?" He muttered.

"It's Breaka Shaka by Kangta!" I cried. "He's a KPOP artist but he speaks Chinese!"

I was freaking out and forgetting the mission.

Neji, sensing my loss and interesting hit me on the head. Not hard, but enough to piss me off.

"Geez ..." I muttered.

"Don't forget what we're here for." He said. "Let's hurry up and -"

"Neji!" I shrieked, grabbing him. "They're here." I whispered on the ground, seeing the men in suits looking around.

"I know." He hissed. "I was trying not to look inconspicuous but thanks to **_you_** we don't look suspicious at **_all_**."

"Oh ... um." I didn't have a response to that because I realized I made a big mistake. So when I sprang up I screamed, "Found it!"

"Stupid contacts," I then muttered, looking through my bag and pulling out my glasses.

Neji rolled his eyes and continued to pull me through the crowd. We searched and searched but couldn't seem to find our victim. Where was he? How were we supposed to kill him anyways if we were inside of a club? How could we do this unnoticed?

"Tenten," Neji finally muttered. "There he is."

I spazzed, looking around but Neji just gripped my head and motioned towards our desired target.

"Oh," I murmured quietly.

"I'm going to wait and see ... yes he's going right now." Neji confirmed. "I'll get him when he's in the bathroom and hope there's no one in there. You're going to guard the door and make sure that nobody goes in there, okay?" He made sure that he got my approval. "No killing for you then."

I was surprised he took my 'no killing' philosophy into consideration and just followed him to the bathrooms.

"Don't come in, Panda." Neji told me with a mocking smirk.

I stood outside of the door and was scared because of the silence coming from the inside. There wasn't even any talking. Neji must've obviously been waiting for as many people to come out before attempting the assassination. People walking out the door confirmed my theory.

Finally, after a few minutes I heard one loud punch and could only hope it was Neji. It was followed by a big thud of a body hitting the floor. Then there were some rolling noises and some more punching. I really hoped that Neji was the one throwing the hits.

Suddenly a man bumped into me.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized numerous times. "Gomenasai."

"No ..." I told him. "It's okay."

Then it hit me. Shit. Don't reply in Japanese! I was so stupid. He spoke it ... I responded ...

He smirked and I finally looked at who it was. A man in a black suit.

My luck really had run out.

"**_Neji__!_** "

He grabbed my arm firmly and I didn't go with him. So when he started to pull, I showed my angry face and brought a kick to his nose, causing him to let go of me and stumble back.

It was time to **_lie_**.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I screamed, speaking Japanese.

"I know what you're here to do!"

"I'm waiting for my freaking boyfriend! Are you insane? I don't even know who you are!" I desperately cried. "Help! Somebody help me!"

I tried playing innocent once more. If I pretended not to be like an assassin, which I really wasn't like, then maybe he would assume I really wasn't. If I couldn't fight back he should think that I wouldn't be an assassin then.

"My boyfriend will find out about this!" I yelled, hoping Neji on the other side heard I was in trouble. "You better not rape me or anything because I have a good lawyer! You'll go to jail for kidnapping!"

"What's your problem?" he asked. "I think I know what you're going to do."

On the inside I smirked. He went from "I know what you're here to do." to "I **_think_** I know." I was beginning to become successful.

"What? Tell me what I'm here to do then if you're so smart!" I demanded. "Tell me!"

"You're here to assassinate Zhu Xing!" he informed me.

"Who in the freaking **_hell _**is that?" I questioned, putting my hands on my hips. "And assassinate? Are you crazy? Does it look like I can assassinate anyone?" I held up my arms. "Look at these! I can't even do twenty push ups!" Which was true.

"I'm ... sorry, miss, for understanding." He still looked at me suspiciously but began to turn around.

I sighed in relief and slumped against the wall, sliding downwards, finding myself lightheaded. To be honest, I was a bit scared and while lying I felt myself sweat and start to shake. I had to squeeze my fists to stop the shivering.

The bathroom door flicked open and I flinched, glancing upwards. Neji stood above me, his long hair messed up and the only trace of killing on his right hands knuckle, which was covered in a tiny spot of dry blood. He was smirking though.

"That wasn't bad." He informed me.

"You were watching?" I cried. "What if it was real? What if I was really taken?"

Neji shook his head, chewing gum and his smirk never fading.

"Tenten, I will always **_know _**if you are lying."

* * *

**A/N: Oh my God! Sorry for two short chapters in a row. I'm very busy! Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays I'm extremely busy. So I'll try to update often kay? =) Yes. This chapter isn't supposed to be extremely intense. It's not the climax so the little problems aren't gonna be big. Alright? Okay then so I must go to dance right now haha. Please review because you guys are that great =)**


	8. Poison

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 8: Poison

I felt the vibration of the phone lying on my nightstand but felt it was too early to pick it up ... it always was. Neji and I got back late. Our flight was delayed. We had to avoid people who were watching us. We didn't eat. Water hadn't been given to me in a while. Honestly, I couldn't get up.

My face felt hot. My body was hot. Yet at the same time it was shivering. I felt lightheaded. Breathing wasn't very easy either. My nose was so snuffly ... and my eyes. They burned so I didn't feel like opening them at all.

I looked at the time and it was already 7:30 in the morning. It was hard to move but I finally managed to grab my cellphone and stop the vibrating.

And I should've called Sakura or Hinata ... even my mom ... but my finger automatically went to previous calls and selected Neji.

_Ring. Ring. Click._

"Panda ... why the hell are you calling me?"

"Neji..." I nearly shrieked at the sound of my voice. It was raw and ugly ... raspy. My throat hurt like crazy too.

"Tenten, what the fuck is wrong with your voice?" Neji muttered.

"I think I'm sick ..." I whispered.

"**_Really_**?" Neji sarcastically answered. "How the hell did you even get sick anyway?"

"I don't know." I mumbled, followed by a series of hoarse coughs.

There was a sigh from the other end.

"Well why are you calling me?" he asked, annoyed.

"I don't know who I'm supposed to call." I replied, still not knowing why I called him.

It was probably because I considered him a genius and thought he could fix all my petty problems ... that is if he **_wanted _**too. Neji at the moment was showing no emotion. In fact, he was lacking the motivation I was needing. I was hoping that he would have some sympathy.

Neji didn't answer.

"So you think I should call Hinata or Sakura?" I wondered, trying to make the conversation less awkward.

"No." Neji grumbled. "They're on a mission."

I gasped.

"Aw. On a Monday morning? What am I gonna do, Neji?" I cried, thrashing around painfully in my bed then suddenly remembering I wasn't supposed to move.

"God. Your scratchy voice is so irritating." Neji mumbled. "Hang on."

I wasn't exactly sure what 'hang on' meant but didn't really think anything of it ... until Neji walked into my dorm.

"How the hell did you get in?" I demanded.

Neji rolled his eyes, holding up my second room key.

"Really, Panda? A spare key under the mat?"

If I wasn't sick I would've blushed.

Neji walked through the door and observed me. I was lying on the bed, with my arms painfully crossed. It was strange to see Neji's eyes strained.

"Oi Panda ... why are you so pale?" Neji asked.

"Paler than you?" I joked, while he ignored it.

I was so tired the night before that I was still in my previous outfit, my hair was still up, and faint traces of makeup remained on my face.

Neji folded his arms and chewed his gum.

"You've been poisoned." He told me.

"Pardon?" I demanded. "Poisoned?" I thrashed around once more, freaking out.

"Geez don't get so angry." Neji mumbled. "It's not like I did anything."

I couldn't quite comprehend what he meant by poisoned. It's not like I'd eaten anything considering the previous day and that I was starving ... how could I have gotten poisoned?

"What kind of poison?" I finally questioned, slightly calmer.

Neji shrugged.

"I don't know but it's-"

He stopped suddenly and stared directly into my eyes for the first time. Full eye contact.

"Holy shit." He muttered. "This is bad. Shit. Shit. Shit."

I'd never seen Neji get remotely this emotional. Something must've been really bad ... but I wondered what he had seen or ... thought ... or hypothesized.

"Neji ... what is it?" I asked curiously.

"I'm leaving." Neji announced.

"What?"

"Don't you dare move! Don't talk to anyone! Don't turn on the TV! Don't text! Don't even fucking use your iPod!" Neji ordered.

I flinched, taken aback. What on Earth was wrong with the bastard?

Neji stormed out.

_Neji_

I knew exactly where I was going. There was no doubt about it. My mind had it locked. Tenten's eyes. I knew what **_he _**did. It had to be his work. The way she looked. I figured it would happen sometime but this soon had surprised me greatly.

Out the dorm building I walked at a brisk pace, avoiding looking suspicious. I passed some of the students arriving a bit early and started to pick up my speed into a jog. I had to be fast. I needed to get there as soon as possible without being suspected.

I took out a key from the pocket of my school uniform pants. It was gold but often changed colors. It's been green before.

It was at a supply closet door that I stopped. With my key, I shoved it in and it turned green and went straight through the keyhole.

Then I walked into the Devil's room.

"Long time no see, _amigo_." He greeted me, sitting in his chair that always pissed me off.

"Long time as in yesterday." I replied, trying not to sound too angry.

"What brings you here?" the Devil asked me, folding his arms and putting on a handsome smirk that only further angered me.

"Tenten. What the fuck?" I was vague, only because I knew that **_he _**knew exactly what I meant.

"What about our newest addition?" the Devil inquired.

"Why did you poison her with **_that_**?" I demanded.

The Devil sighed and sat backwards.

"Well, I figured it necessary." He answered.

"I thought it was a little weird that you were sending us to China for a simple assassination without anything on the line." I admitted, keeping my fist clenched.

The Devil sighed.

"As you know, I'm in a bit of trouble with China so I thought I would use that as my disguise." the Devil explained. "Were you fooled?"

"Yes." I remarked through gritted teeth, nearly killing my gum. "I was fooled."

"So can you guess who I had poison her?" the Devil asked me, highly amused.

"Enlighten me." I responded, not in the mood for 20 questions.

"Max."

"You sent **_Max_**?" I demanded. "Why the fuck did you send **_Max_**?"

The Devil shrugged.

"It was necessary when Tenten was with _**you**_." He said.

"Well obviously. He can shape shift. Of course I didn't fucking notice it was him." I replied, starting to see how it all made sense.

"You could if you wanted to." the Devil wore a smirk. "Let it take over. Then you can shape shift all you want."

I bit my lip and stared at him.

"No. I'll never say yes." I remarked. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

The Devil shrugged.

"Everyone changes their mind." He told me.

I felt like his eyes were glowing red and that they were boring into me. It didn't hurt. It didn't feel weird. It felt intense. It felt like he was observing me and knew everything that I was ... which he did. I had felt this stare many times before. I knew what it felt like so this was nothing. I had to ignore the insanity. I had to ignore him. Because **_I _**wouldn't fall into it.

"Give me the Serum." I demanded. "Give it to me."

The Devil stared back at me amused once more.

"Why should I give it to **_you_**?" He asked. "You're trying to take the insanity out of her blood? Why?"

"Because. If you let the poison spread throughout her body, it will be too much." I explained. "I know because I've **_seen _**her Devil. And he **_doesn't _**like the poison."

The Devil sighed.

"I wished you never had the ability to see people's Devil's." he told me. "Oh well. I wouldn't want poor Tenten dying **_too _**soon."

He reached over and out of thin air handed me a crystal vile with a thick, gold looking liquid. The Serum.

"Go...save her." He told me.

I grabbed the Serum from his hands and bolted.

It was true. Tenten's Devil wouldn't just reject the poison, it would fight against it and that could easily result in her death. Why the fuck did she have to be so stubborn?

I was sprinting now, running past other students that were getting ready to get to their classes. School was just about to start.

If only the poison didn't take a long time to spread. I would've noticed it yesterday. Max must've gotten her while I was in the bathroom. There wasn't a struggle though. He only grabbed her, which is when I assumed he injected it. Still, if he could do it just by that now ... he'd definitely gotten better than he ever was before.

When I arrived at Tenten's dorm, she was already sweating bullets and her face was turning paler by the second. She was gripping the sheets so tightly I thought that her short fingernails would go right through them. She breathing heavily and seemed like she was having difficulty catching her breath.

"What the hell is going on?" She muttered, not even noticing my presence.

"Tenten." I told her, trying to get her attention.

"N-Neji?"

"Who else?" I muttered, taking out the Serum.

"What's that?" She asked suspiciously, panting.

"It's going to take out the poison." I informed her.

She didn't protest but her face seemed to not agree with the idea.

"Tenten, your Devil is rejecting the poison and if you don't get this Serum it will **_kill _**you." I said harshly.

The words seemed to hit her that way because she finally nodded and held out her hand for the Serum. I gave it to her and watched her pour it down her throat. She gasped several times and had a huge coughing fit before settling back down.

She took in huge breaths and reached out for something. I couldn't tell what. But she was so uncomfortable.

I just stood and watched as the poison drifted away from her body and then she slipped into a deep slumber where I left her.

* * *

**A/N: Ohh short and intense. Sorry for short chapters but well I'm updating often so I guess it's the heart that counts eh? Lol. So yes you will know more about the poison and everything later on =) I'm glad if you enjoyed reading and please review :)**


	9. Ice Cream Bonds

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 9: Ice Cream Bonds

My vision was fuzzy as I awoke. My hands were shaking but I felt much better than before. I glanced around me and finally my fingers found my phone again. It was 10:30 AM. School had already begun and I had missed my first two classes. I should be in AP Geography right about now ... but it wasn't like Kakashi would notice my absence **_anyway_**. He probably wasn't even teaching the class today either. He hated Monday's and often told us to read our books.

I sighed though. Being better now and rested, I probably should've gone to school now.

So I rolled out of my agonizing bed and shuffled into the bathroom where I found my wrinkled uniform. I didn't really care that it was wrinkled and I just threw it over myself. Then I walked back into my bedroom and dug out a granola bar from my book bag. I stuck it in my mouth and went back into the bathroom, where I started doing my makeup, yes with the bar in my mouth. I slowly gnawed at it then while I put my hair in a sloppy, lopsided bun. From one of my drawers I grabbed a pin and slipped into my hair. Then I brushed my teeth after finally finishing my granola bar.

I wanted to listen to my iPod but I didn't think it would be a good thing to do when walking out late from school so I just stuffed it in my book bag, along with my cellphone and homework that I managed to do on the plane late last night. I hoped that it was accurate because I might've been a bit too tired while doing it.

Neji was nowhere in sight at the moment either. I wondered where he disappeared off to after saving me. I couldn't really remember much of what happened hours ago. All I remembered was drinking something that tasted a little bit like maple syrup, cold maple syrup.

I slipped on my school shoes and put the room key in my book bag, suddenly wondering what happened to my second key.

"Oh God." I muttered. "Neji probably took it, didn't he?"

It scared me slightly now that I knew Neji could freely walk into my room whenever he wanted ... then again. He's done it more than once. So I should've been used to it.

I shrugged, walking out the door. Most of the students were at school but there were a couple stragglers who slept in late. I could tell because their hair was messy and they were jumping around, tweaking out over everything. Compared to me that is. My facial expression was still pretty tired so I hadn't really cared in the first place.

It was when I was just about at the entrance, I heard some grunting sounds. So I walked around the double doors into a corner and sure enough. There was someone with cyan blue eyes staring about at me. It was Ino and she was wrapping something around her thin leg.

"I-Ino!" I exclaimed, looking at her thigh. It was bleeding a lot.

"Uh, Tenten ..." She mumbled.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking at her leg which was freaking me out a bit. I wasn't one who was comfortable with blood.

"Yeah I'm fine." She replied confused.

"Here let me help!" I offered, kneeling down in front of her.

"No, it's okay." Ino insisted. "I got it."

"No really." I told her. "I'm good at this."

I unwrapped her bandages and did my best not to flinch at the wound.

"So what happened?" I inquired.

Ino sighed.

"I was doing an assassination and the target had a knife." She explained. "He managed to slash my thigh before I killed him."

"Hmm..." I mumbled. "Ouch."

I wrapped the wound carefully. I was trying to mimic what my mom, Yuri, did when I had a bad wound on my arm. I had to make sure it wasn't too tight, but covered all areas and was secured tightly, with minimal pain and not too much pressure at any certain part.

When I finished, I saw Ino smile, the first time for me that is seeing her.

"Thanks," She said. "So why are you late?"

I rubbed the back of my neck.

"I was poisoned." I admitted.

Ino's eyes widened. She was surprised as much as Neji was.

"With **_Devil's _**poison?" She wondered.

I nodded.

"Yeah, but I got the Serum so, I'm okay now."

Ino sighed in relief.

"That's good." She remarked. "I'm still afraid of the day that it's going to happen to me."

I nodded again.

"It's scary."

"You know Neji's had it **_twice_**." Ino informed me, an intense look in her eyes.

My jaw dropped.

"You're kidding right?" I asked, amazed.

"Yes," Ino confirmed. "It's true! He's had it twice and refused to let it take over. The first time he had the Serum and the second time he didn't. He just has a lot of resistance."

"Wow." I sat back on my heels, still having my knees against my chest. "That's amazing."

"Yeah." Ino agreed. "Well we should go." She said, glancing at her phone.

She stood and so did I. Her bandage almost went to her knee, so it went below her skirt.

And that was the moment Ino and I become friends.

oOoOo

AP Geography was just about to end when I walked in. Kakashi was, of course, reading his book and not paying any attention to us whatsoever. Everyone in class was reading an assignment from the textbook and taking notes.

So quickly, with five minutes left in class, I sat down quietly and opened my book and notes and with my Totoro pencil, started to write things down from the assignment on the board.

_Read pages 196-199 and take notes._

I didn't even realized that Kiba and Shikamaru were behind me.

"Someone's late." Kiba started throwing balls of paper at me.

I moaned, turning around at the idiot and threw some back, trying not to laugh during the process.

"I had a ... **_dilemma _**this morning." I explained.

"Elaborate." Shikamaru mumbled, his head down and resting on his book. I seriously had though he was asleep before.

"Poison." I sighed.

"**_That _**poison?" Kiba asked me.

"Yes that poison." I muttered.

"Did you get the Serum?" Shikamaru inquired, looking up now with interest.

"Yeah." I replied. "Thankfully."

"Are you talking or working?" Kakashi called from his desk, not looking up from his book.

"Gomen," I muttered, stealing a last look from the two boys behind me.

oOoOo

So now at lunch, I sat by Ino, Sakura and Hinata. I don't know why Ino and I hadn't conversed before. I think I misjudged her because of what she told me my first day. Really, she was only warning me but I took it a bit too seriously. It's not like she was intentionally being mean.

"Tenten-chan!" Naruto cried, anxiously.

"What?" I demanded, looking at the obnoxious blonde, who never had his uniform anything but loosely fit.

"Can you buy me some Ramen?" He begged.

I frowned.

"Fine."

I grabbed his arm and asked him to pick out the Ramen. I bought him another one for 700 yen and finally sat back down.

"Monday's suck." I heard Choji say, annoyed.

Shikamaru sighed.

"Choji you only say that because they don't have your favorite chips on Monday." He pointed out.

Choji blinked.

"So?" He whined.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my food, taking a bite of my Onigiri.

"Tenten!" Lee cried. "I didn't know you liked Onigiri too!"

"Lee, I have it almost everyday." I told him.

Lee laughed loudly and continued to eat his "youthful food" as he called it.

It was then when I realized that happy I was to be here at this table with so many people who were close enough to friends as I was going to get. There was something about them that was different from my other friends. They seemed to band together because they were all in the same situation. We were all tied in with a deal with the Devil, it turned us strangers into siblings.

Of course I didn't like the assassinations and late night trips to China (which I hoped weren't daily) but being with other people who were stuck in the same hellhole as me with the same issues made me feel much better. I felt like I belonged with them.

oOoOo

Neji wasn't looking at me in Chinese. He didn't look at me at lunch either. I didn't really get and part of me didn't care. But another part of me was worried because I didn't want to have such a bad relationship with my partner. I wondered if he was mad at me ... I didn't want him to be at all but couldn't help thinking so when he refused to look at me.

He was probably absent coming in today too except unlike me he probably actually was marked. Kakashi didn't even care for me.

"Neji ..." I mumbled. "Why you little ..."

"What are you muttering about?"

I jumped. Neji had spoke up.

"P-Pardon?" I asked, turning around past the other students who were diligently working in their textbooks.

Neji rolled his eyes.

"Fucking plotting against me." He said.

I was about to respond before Anko cut us off.

"What are you maggots doing?" She demanded. "Cut the chit-chat."

"Yes, Anko-sensei." I quietly answered.

oOoOo

Violin was like a safe haven for me today. It was a nice, peaceful and relaxed hour of the day in which I played _Sakura, Sakura_ perfectly. I was happy that I could finally get all of the shifting and Iruka seemed to like it too but he kept giving me s strange look.

"There's something missing." He kept mumbling.

I kept playing, but couldn't shake off his odd stare.

"What's wrong?" I finally asked, after the second run through.

"The emotion ..." Iruka remarked. "It doesn't seem sad enough."

I cocked my head.

"What should I do?" I asked.

"Could you ..." He trailed off. "Add more vibrato."

I looked up in thought.

"Yeah I suppose." I answered.

"Okay, try again with more vibrato."

So I did. It sounded really cool and Iruka seemed much happier than before.

"That's almost perfect." He explained. "There's still a little something but I haven't quite figure it out yet."

I shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"We'll work on it tomorrow." Iruka said. "You need to get to your next class."

oOoOo

In Biology we suddenly got assigned seats and what do you know ... all of the girls were in the front while the guys were stuck in the back. We all knew that Jiraiya had done this on purpose for his own perverted reasons that sickened us. At least Sakura sat behind me in the second row.

We were dissecting frogs, which I wasn't too happy about. It really disgusted me and I ended up getting frog guts on my cheek. But my lab partner was Naruto, all the way from the back row. We convinced Jiraiya to pick the partners randomly or we would freak.

oOoOo

I stretched out as the final bell rung while I was packing things into my book bag. I only had Chinese homework and had to work on my violin, which I picked up from the music room on my way out the door. It was relaxing that the day was over and I didn't have much homework.

_"OK!_  
_ Shoot a crazy gun at my heart._  
_ Fumidashite ii no ka? Ima no mama_  
_ Sunao no tayotte nakushite shimau nara_  
_ Itsumo Naite buttobase"_

My cellphone rang from inside my book bag. I changed my ring tone quite often so it shouldn't be a surprise every time the song changes.

_Mom._

I picked up the phone.

"Mom?"

"Tenten!" Yuri cried.

"What? What is it?" I asked, getting worried.

"Why haven't I seen you?" She wondered.

I fell over, nearly crushing my book bag.

"Mom..." I mumbled into the phone dramatically. "YOU SCARED ME!"

"Oh ... sorry." She apologized.

I grumbled some incoherent things before returning to the conversation.

"So...you wanted to see me?" I wondered.

"Yeah! I miss my daughter!" She remarked. "How come you don't come back over the weekends?"

"Well the bus fare," I told her, lying and picking up my bag and starting to walk again.

"I'll give you money when you come over! At least come today!" She pleaded.

I sighed.

"Mom ... on a Monday?"

"Yes!"

Another sigh.

"Okay fine." I agreed, just about to hang up.

"Wait." She said. "Do you have any friends?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Of course I have friends! You think I'm some anti-social-" I stopped, at the dorm door, realizing what she was doing.

"Bring them over!" She exclaimed.

I sighed. There was no stopping her.

"I'll see who can come." I muttered, highly doubting my friends wanted to come over to my house and to God knows what...

We hung up and I walked up to my dorm, opening the door with my key. Then I just laid on my bed for five minutes, listening to Buono's "Take It Easy" on my iPod. I liked them. The three girls were pretty inspiring and they were on one my pins on my book bag.

Finally, when their song was over and "Bravo Bravo" came on, I whipped out my cellphone and started to send a text to all my friends.

In the end, everyone ended up texting back to come except Shino, Sasuke and Neji.

Sakura told Ino and she decided to come too.

I met my friends by the bus stop and apologized.

"Sorry guys," I told them. "My mom just wants to see me and wanted me to bring my friends."

Just as I was explaining, a voice caught my attention.

"Panda, where the hell do you think **_you're _**going?" Neji asked me.

"Why don't you check your text messages, you turd." I mumbled.

Neji looked at his phone and frowned but before he could say anything I cut him off.

"Oh look the bus is coming!" I cried. "Looks like you'll just have to come with in case we have any sudden mission."

I grabbed his reluctant arm and he, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, Naruto, an annoyed Shikamaru, Choji, Lee and I climbed on.

oOoOo

We got to my house in four stops. I paid the bus driver the money and we climbed off.

"Your house is huge!" Naruto exclaimed.

It really wasn't that big, just big for Konoha.

"Uh ..." I said embarrassed. "I guess..."

"Oh your here!" Yuri peeked her head through the door.

"Hot damn." Kiba muttered. "How old is your fricken mom? Twenty?"

"Uh...thirty five." I remarked. "She had me **_when _**she was twenty."

Yuri came running out the door, her long silky hair flowing over her shoulders. She was wearing yellow capris and a pink shirt with a green flower on it.

We were all still in our uniforms.

Yuri came running out and noticed.

She excitedly told us, "You guys look so cool in your uniforms!"

"Oh gee thanks!" Naruto cried loudly. "Your house is so big, lady!"

Yuri smiled.

"Oh really? I'm glad you think!" She said. "Except we're not spending time in the house today."

"What are we doing?" I demanded in an eerie tone.

"Ice cream!" My mother cried in rough English.

"Yes!" Choji cheered, but Shikamaru, yanked on his hair, calming him down.

"Shall we walk?" Yuri suggested. "It's only a few blocks away."

"Sure." Sakura put in, seeing my angered state.

I was just a bit embarrassed to have my mom chilling with my new friends.

oOoOo

_Kawaii Fuusen _was the name. "Cute Balloon". It was my favorite ice cream parlor as a kid and still was.

"Looks yummy." Naruto cried, bouncing up and down.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Sakura was screaming into her phone. "You better get your chicken ass over here this instant!'

I twitched at her harshness but then pulled her into line.

"I'll pay for all of you." Yuri smiled. "Get whatever you want."

Lots of us got _ichigo _(strawberry) flavored, Hinata, Sakura, Ino and I to be honest. Naruto got his cookie dough. Choji got Haley's Comet which was like chocolate and nuts and caramel. Kiba got like this triple chocolate combo that scared me. It was huge. Neji ordered this awkward yogurt thing that I made sure to make fun of in front of him. Shikamaru got mint but only ate half until he basically fell asleep, earning a slap outside the head from Ino. Lee ordered a plain vanilla ice cream cone that made me wonder. When Sasuke finally arrived, annoyed, he ordered regular chocolate.

We were still missing Shino though. Frowny face.

But sitting at the parlor with my mom and friends made me realize the bonds we were creating. I adored the moment of sweet ice cream with people I enjoyed being around; I cherished it and to be quite honest I never wanted it to end.

* * *

**A/N: Just a little chappie to build the relationship between the characters because they need to interact more =) Lol poor Shino missing out. I'll get him in. But I'm craving some ice cream right now anyway. Oh well. I liked writing this though I got distracted a couple times. Sorry I didn't update yesterday by the way. I had over six hours of dance -_- on a Saturday. Not fun. I nearly blacked out from not eating. Anyway, today is a relaxation dayyy so review guys please =)**


	10. Red Star

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 10: Red Star

Tuesday mornings were pretty great. I loved them because when I wake up on a Tuesday, it symbolizes my survival of the Monday before it. And strangely for some reasons, at my old school we normally never had homework on Tuesday's, so the good karma of a Tuesday just rubbed off on me, I guess.

I tumbled out of my bed and stumbled into the bathroom. On the ground, lay my overused uniform. I put it on, sighing. The purpleness was getting to me.

After my uniform was put on, I put my hair into my two buns, knowing that Neji was just going to call me panda anyway. I then put in a purple clip that matched my annoying uniform ... more purple. After that, I put on makeup and brushed my teeth, forgetting that I hadn't even eaten.

I gathered my things and set them by the door, putting on my black, knee high socks on the way, tripping a few times.

Then, I crashed onto the fuzzy rug with my headphones in and jammed out the music as loud as possible, my phone in my other hand, though I hardly paid attention to it.

"_You make me smile like the sun, fall outta bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night!_"

I sang out loud, and this time in tune. Singing was one of my favorite hobbies that I enjoyed very much. I happened to be good too. Music was just me.

"_You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee ..._"

Oh music was in my soul, the contagious rhythm residing inside of my brain. It was implanted in me from the moment of conception in my mother's womb.

I rolled around a bit to wake myself up. It seemed to help roll the tiredness out of my body and made me want to get up and sing louder. So I did. I sprang upwards and started singing a new song.

"_Come on, come on_  
_ Show me what you got_  
_ I swear, we're gonna tear it up_!  
_ Oh yeah, we can leave it all behind cuz_ ..."

I was dancing like a mad person, glad that I secured my hair tightly before because it would've been falling out by now.

"_You've got it going on_  
_ and I've gotta say_..."

My phone buzzed and I noticed it was Sakura. So I texted her while dancing.

"_She's got the rhythm and I cant forget_  
_ She's gonna give in_  
_ We're gonna give it two more years_  
_ and oh my god_  
_ She's got the rhythm, she's got me waking up!_"

Damn right I had the rhythm.

oOoOo

... So maybe I danced for an hour straight. So what? It was good exercise. But by 8:00 I had to stop so I wouldn't be late for school.

I put my phone in my book bag, smirking at the Death The Kid pin I accidentally bumped. He kinda made my life when I was a sixth grader. No lie. He and Soul Eater Evans, who I also had a pin of. Good old anime that I never get bored of.

Out the door I walked with my music blasting in my ears. I passed people I knew in the hallway and nodded. Since I knew everyone pretty much now, school became much more enjoyable than I had thought it ever could be.

"Ino..." I chimed, passing the blonde, smiling.

She nodded.

I also acknowledged some of my other friends, before reaching my locker in the school building.

oOoOo

In Algebra, we were working on our assignment and Asuma let us listen to music as an accomplishment of completing the first chapter of our math book. You can just **_imagine _**what happened. Yes. I took over and we did our assignment while jamming out to SHINee and Hirano Aya.

"Set me free ..." Hinata and I were singing, while dancing around and doing the algebraic functions.

Asuma shook his head, laughing at the same time.

Shikamaru was too busy sleeping to even notice us or listen to the music. Asuma noticed him slouching and not lifting his head.

"Shikamaru!" He scolded. "Have you even started the assignment?"

Shikamaru drowsily looked.

"Started? I finished it." He mumbled.

Unconvinced, Asuma grabbed Shikamaru's paper and looked it over. In about a minute he gasped.

"It's all correct. All thirty five problems!"

I looked over still humming to my music.

"It's Shikamaru," I said. "What do you expect?"

oOoOo

It was in Honor's Japanese that I wrote my most intense essay ever. It was actually a short story to prove a point. No one else wanted to do the short story but me, not even Ino. Except they didn't know that writing stories was one of my hobbies ... I loved it.

_Ayako took in a breath and observed her surroundings carefully. There were certain things she took in and there were the irrelevant things that she left out. It was obvious she was stuck there but the forest was so thick she knew there must've been a secret way out._

_It was hard to contemplate where the Owner had been because footprints weren't something that one see's in grass. Ayako knew this; she'd already tried to find traces of footprints. It was because he came and went so quickly that let her conclude a secret exit._

_The only question remained was, where is it?_

_Ayako cracked her knuckles and began to punch the bushes around her, making sure he wasn't there, though in her heart she knew he was gone because his soul's presence had disappeared quickly from her mental radar that had tracked him this far._

_It was only when she saw a tree looping over just above her head that she smirked. Ayako knew now how he escaped. Through the sky ... the broken tree branches made a hole upward. If the Owner had escaped through the sky it meant another thing. The forest went on forever **not **because it was a regular forest, but because it was a portal._

_"I got you." Ayako announced, the triumphant sound in her voice pouring out her confidence._

Kurenai couldn't believe her eyes.

"This is one of the best short stories I've read during the "Observation" unit." She informed me, scanning the story once more.

The lesson we were on was thinking processes in stories and how characters observe things and mentally make mental notes.

"You've convinced me that there is a true story line also." Kurenai added. "I don't know who this, Owner is that Ayako is tracking, or what a porthole is. Yet I know you must escape through the sky to use one ... if anyone else read this they'd beg you to make the full story."

I smiled. Writing **_was _**a forte of mine.

oOoOo

It was in AP Geography that I was surprised. We were looking up locations in our Atlases and recording them in our Coordinates notebooks. My Totoro pencil rubbed against my chin as I searched through the book in boredom, trying to find a closeup of Qingdao, China and then Paris, France. That was when Hyuuga Neji calmly walked into the room, a darkness in his eyes.

"Excuse me, Sensei," Neji said, staring over at me. "I need to borrow Tenten."

Kakashi looked up from his book and nodded, shooing me over.

"You're excused." he informed me.

I glanced around and tucked my notebook and pencil under my arm, following Neji out the door.

"We need to stop at my locker." I told him quickly.

"Fine." He snapped.

Neji was angry.

We walked up and I desperately wanted to ask him what was bothering him so much. It was obvious there was **_something _**doing this to him that didn't involve me ... surprisingly.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, popping open my locker without the combo, not daring to let anyone else know I could do that.

"Nothing." Neji curtly replied.

I almost believed it but knew it was wrong.

"No it's not." I remarked, setting my notebook in there and putting my pencil in the upper cubby. Part of the metal spiral of my notebook wouldn't go in so I just pulled it out and wrapped it around my wrist.

"Excuse me?"

"I know you're lying." I informed him, slamming shut my locker and staring into his pale eyes. "So what's bothering you."

"It's none of your business." Neji answered, quickly turning and walking away.

I followed, realizing something odd.

Neji wasn't chewing any gum.

oOoOo

He led me to the bus stop where we then sat in the back seats when it arrived. Neji turned away from everyone, including me. I felt slightly hurt but knew I shouldn't take it so offensively, He was just mad about something. Otherwise he would've lied perfectly to my face and I would've been convinced it was nothing.

But it wasn't.

"Where are we going?" I didn't bother asking what we were doing. It was apparent.

"You'll find out soon enough." Neji remarked coldly.

I bit my lip and brought my knees to my chest, clutching my book bag that was hung over my knees. A sudden shiver ran through my body and I couldn't help but feel afraid. What if Neji wouldn't protect me? Because he was angry? The coldness and fear in my heart grew to a point where I felt like screaming.

So I pulled out my iPod and started to listen to music. The song Rest by Nevertheless.

"_Hey, where have you been?_  
_Where did you go,_  
_Looking for innocence_  
_Shame, is holding you down_  
_Sellin' you out_  
_Won't you come back again?_"

I glanced at Neji, but knew he wouldn't glance back. I didn't want to assassinate anyone right now. I wanted to crawl in a warm bed and cry. It was the middle of the day yet it felt like midnight. I felt insecure and scare and there was something stirring in my stomach that wouldn't settle.

"_Cause you found a way to go on for day's_  
_ Pretending to live_  
_ But you are not ok_  
_ With all of that weight_  
_ You need to give up._"

Neji wasn't talking, I was hardly breathing, and this bus ride seemed to go on for hours. I really wondered how far away we were gonna go. Twenty minutes really already passed.

"_Come now, just let it go_  
_ Let it fall down_  
_ Let it all flow, like,_  
_ The water that's rushing in over your soul_  
_ Till there's nothing left_  
_ Won't you come to Me and rest._"

I wanted water to wash over my soul and free me of my anxiety and fear but no such comfort came to me ... just the sound of the road against wheels.

"_Hey, I know that your scared_  
_ To look in my eyes_  
_ When you know that somethings wrong_  
_ I'll wait as long as it takes_  
_ For you to find grace_  
_ That's been here all along_."

. . . Neji was mad and I couldn't do anything about. Was this what they called 'Depression'?

oOoOo

About an hour passed and I finally got the courage to speak up against Neji.

"Where the hell are we going?" I asked. "I missed lunch!"

Neji turned to me, sighing.

"We have about a half hour left, and then we're there." He said, the calmness in his voice was fake.

The song Quiet by Lights popped into my head and I played it, over and over.

It wasn't long though until I fell asleep on the bus. I nearly dropped. I guess I was more exhausted than I expected.

oOoOo

"Get up." A cold voice ordered.

I rolled off of something that was a bit hard. Neji's shoulder.

Did he let me sleep on his shoulder all that time? I didn't know because I was passed out but I sat straight up, trying to mask my embarrassment. Neji seemed to hardly care though how I felt at the moment. He grabbed my wrist and led me off the bus.

We were in an extremely crowded and dark city. I definitely slept longer than a half hour. It was already seven or eight at night.

I took out my cellphone and the time 8:45 PM flashed at me. It really was late. We were on the bus for about six hours.

"Neji ... where are we?" I questioned.

"Watanabe." He remarked.

"It's busy." I commented, an obvious understatement.

Neji scoffed.

"Come on." he pulled me and we fought our way through the busy streets.

"Are you going to tell me who we're killing?" I inquired.

"Not really."

"Can we at least get something to eat?" I continued.

"Later."

My stomach growled in protest, but I knew I couldn't detest Neji.

Despite the darkness, there was a faint glow of the city lights that lit the street and there was an intense body heat that surrounded the air because of the many, many people in such a small area.

"His apartment." Neji declared. "That's where we're going."

I followed him, knowing to trust him when it came to directions because the bastard always seemed to know where to go.

"There it is." Neji announced, pointing.

Above a old metal staircase, there was a rusted door with a red star painted on it, the paint wearing off.

"Red star." I muttered. I knew it from somewhere.

Taking out my iPod, I scrolled through my songs and nodded an affirmation. The song Red Stars.

_Best of cruel intentions_  
_ Binding what they fail to mention_  
_ No truth_  
_ All pretension_  
_ Raise your hand to give attention_

The words haunted me. That was why I loved the song, but thinking about them in my head here only sent a shiver down my spine.

_You'd give it_  
_ We'd take it_  
_ You'd build it_  
_ We'd break it_  
_ You sign and we erase it_  
_ You'd feel it_  
_ We'd fake it_

What did it mean though? My head was pounding as I stared at the star painted thickly on the door and then it hit me. I always knew what my songs were about.

Red Star was the Russian Military.

I gulped.

"Neji ... **_who _**are we killing?" I said fearfully. "**_Why _**is it someone from the Russian military."

Neji darkly stared at the door, furrowing his eyebrows and almost ignoring my comment.

"So I see you're not a complete idiot." He observed, but his dark expression showed that he was in no mood for teasing. "You now know that we are in a serious situation, don't you?"

I took in a shaky breath, nodding.

"Yes."

Before Neji could respond though, there was a shot overhead.

"Shit. He has a gun!" Neji exclaimed, grabbing my head to duck it down and quickly dashing under the metal stairs for cover, grabbing me with him.

I observed my surroundings trying to do it as in movies and books but I wondered how characters could stay so calm in these situations. I was terrified and couldn't understand how the person I wrote about wasn't tweaking out, then I remembered later that there wasn't a gun involved in my short story.

There was another shot and before I could scream I felt Neji's hand slap over my mouth. I squirmed under his grip but finally relaxed, knowing it was for the best. Neji obviously knew exactly where the Russian shooter was, otherwise we would've taken cover farther away. I didn't know how or why he could see him in the darkness though. Neji's eyes saw everything, didn't they?

Neji, with his other hand that wasn't covering my mouth, quietly took out a knife that he had concealed under his clothing and furrowed his eyebrows again, a more intense look displayed on his face.

His hand over my mouth pushed me back slightly but didn't release. He held the knife in front of him and got into a better crouching position.

Then suddenly Neji's body language showed a different expression. He flinched.

I was about to ask what it was, forgetting about his hand, but there was a tug on my elbow and I was pulled away from my partner and out into the faint light.

Neji leaped out from under the staircase.

I felt something pressed against my head and then realized it was a gun. Shaking all over, I noticed the person who had a firm grip on my elbow must've been our target.

"I know you can't see everything." He told Neji.

"Let her go." Neji said. "Why don't you want to kill me?"

"She works for the Devil too." His voice was so thick in a Russian accent, it was hard to understand his Japanese.

Neji's eyebrows stayed the same, his intense glare remaining.

My heart was thumping so hard ... I was having a hard time thinking. The only thing that was truly running through my mind was the thought of dying. Now that it came down to it, I really did not want to die. I didn't want my life to end. I wanted to live and not have it end this way.

But the gun was pressed so hard against the side of my head.

"The Devil will never infect the Russian Military again." The target said, his accent going through my head like a spike. "I know you must be here to kill me. Or enhance the Devil inside of me. I won't let you."

I saw Neji grip the knife and hoped he cared more about me and less about just getting the assassination done.

"Shall I kill her?" The Russian asked. "In front of you? Or kill you in front of her?"

My fist shook by my side and it began to hurt. Which was strange because it was only my right wrist ... I looked down at my arm, my uniform sleeve rolled up. Wrapped around my right wrist was the metal wire from my notebook earlier.

A plan was starting to devise in my head.

The problem was unwrapping the wire in a short enough time, subtly. I couldn't be noticed. An ex-Russian officer was holding me hostage, it wouldn't be easy to do something unnoticed like that in such a short amount of time ... about less than a minute.

I put my hands behind my back. The first move. The man didn't seem to notice that much. He was too preoccupied with an intense conversation with Neji about the Russian Military being controlled by someone who had the Devil inside take over him.

Second move. I started to unwind it from behind my back. It was a bit of a challenge, considering I couldn't see what I was actually doing. I kept my head down to try and act scared, concealing my true feelings. A small hope had risen inside of me.

I knew even the smallest of noises could rouse the suspicion of the ex-officer so I tried to be careful. It was a small wire but didn't refrain from making noises.

So I bit my lip each time I moved it, praying it wouldn't do anything too loud. Also I shifted my footing a little, hoping that the sound covered up the wire, but then again trying not to make it look like I was trying to escape every time I moved my feet.

I still had a few more rows to go. It would've been much easier if I could see my wrist and if I could make some noise while doing it.

"Neji," the Russian's words finally caught my attention. The heaviness of the gun left my head. "It's the end of you."

My heart began to panic and my brain was becoming dysfunctional. I bit my lip so hard the blood instantly dripped and I heard the click of the gun loading. My hands were shaking so hard that I was forgetting to unravel the wire. My lip quivered and my thinking was blurred.

If I didn't do something quick, Neji was going to die and then soon after, me.

"Goodbye, Neji."

My muscles moved on their own. I ripped the wire off my wrist in a jerking motion, causing it to bleed badly. With a firm grip I jabbed the wire into his neck, feeling the blood trickle down. Fear crept through my body as he crumpled in agony on the ground.

"Tenten!" a familiar voice shouted.

I turned, panicking as the Russian man raised the gun to me with shaking hands, while Neji threw the knife at me. And with a rush of adrenaline and without thinking, I plunged the blade into the target's heart before he could move his finger.

More blood gushed, covering my fingers and hands. When his body fell on top of me, it got over my white shirt, my skin my face. Everywhere.

"The blood ..." I murmured. "THE BLOOD!" I was shrieking so loud. The thought of murdering someone killed me on the inside.

I kicked his lifeless body off and started to shake violently, grabbing my head and screaming and crying at the same time. The feelings inside of me churned to the max. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think ... the only thing that was hurting me was the murder ... the blood.

Desperately, while loudly crying and screaming, I rubbed my hands over everything. The ground, the wall, the metal stairs ... the blood didn't come off easily. It hurt even more though when I glanced over and saw his body lying on the ground, motionless ... dead.

That brought out more spasms. I couldn't deal with killing a human being. It was something I just couldn't do.

On the ground I rolled, shouting ... yelling ... and screeching so loudly I thought that even **_my _**ears would fall off. How could I do such a thing? How could an innocent 15 year old girl kill someone? Sakura, Ino, or Hinata didn't occur to me at that moment.

"The blood ... the blood." I sobbed, rubbing my hands on many things.

A battle inside of me coarsed through my veins, strengthening my insanity. It was as if my Devil was doing this to me. But I knew it was also the shock. The feeling of his soft chest getting punctured by my own hands was eating away at my soul.

"Tenten ..."

I felt Neji's hands reach under my legs and arms. The ground left my feet, surprising me.

"No!" I shouted. "Why? Let me go!"

At the time, I didn't understand what was happening, so I just squirmed and fought against my partner, but he didn't drop me.

While sobbing and screaming and kicking ... I was tired and hungry. I don't know when it was, but sometime while I was in his arms, I doused off into a sleep, my first murder fresh in my mind.

* * *

**A/N: Omo ... that was intense writing right there xD You guys like? Yeah I didn't update yesterday ... sorry. Duty calls you know =) Oh well. I kicked back with a NEW CHAPTER THAT IS EXTREMELY VIOLENT! Well ... not that violent ... but somewhat. Tenten kind of tweaking out as you can see. And actually, that would probably be my reaction too. I don't think I would have the guts to kill someone like that. Also sorry for any grammar mistakes. I try to type as fast as possible to make sure I can update quicker and fit my writing into my schedule but there are always typos. But anyway, PLEASE REVIEW CUZ I LOVE YOU!**


	11. Thunder

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 11: Thunder

The smell of rust engulfed my nose once I woke. My vision was hazy at first as normal and hardly got better as my drowsiness was disappearing. I didn't have my glasses. I didn't know where I was because of this absence of perfect vision.

I rubbed my pounding head and glanced down at the blurred sight of my hands. Redness. Blood.

"No." I moaned softly, rubbing my eyes, finally getting more focused.

"Oi Panda. You're awake."

I glanced to my side and saw Neji. He was looking up at the sky with a relaxed expression that made the tension in my body release. Something about his posture or his face had comforted me. For some reason it put my mind at ease for moments.

"Neji ..."

I looked around and noticed that we were leaning against a brick wall, right next to the rusty metal stairs. It was dark outside and I could make out the looming clouds.

"Are you okay now?" Neji questioned, without looking at me. "You were having a fucking seizure."

I nodded, my eyes still transfixed on the blood that covered my hands, dried up now.

So I tucked my knees up to my chest and let my chin rest on them. My arms then wrapped around my legs. I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that still was inside of me. Even though the calm Neji had made me feel better, there was still this gross emotion lurking inside my body.

"Where ... is he?" I asked, noticing the body was nowhere in sight.

"I took care of it." Neji remarked.

It made me happy inside. I knew that Neji really wouldn't have to take care of the body. But he probably did it for me. Even if he didn't, it still brightened my damp mood.

I looked over at Neji.

"Why is your shirt wet?" I inquired.

"Why do you think?" He replied. "You cried up a damn storm."

And as if on cue the clouds up above rippled in thunder to prove a point.

"Oh ... sorry."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Did you just apologize?" He wondered, now looking over at me.

"Mm." I said in agreement, scared to admit I felt grateful he was there.

Only the Devil would send an innocent 15 year old girl, without any training, into the field of assassination. But I was lucky to be placed with the best.

His eyes connected with mine. Pale ... lavender. Almost truthful but I knew they held lies also.

"Tenten ... you are a killer." He informed me.

I turned my head downwards and placed my hands on my temples, frightened to hear the words. It was something I couldn't take even though I knew it was true. Neji wasn't lying about this. It was simply the truth and was something I couldn't deny. Neji was ...

"I can't believe it." I lied. "I can't."

Neji sighed.

"I know you're lying." He said. "And you know that I know."

The thunder rolled across the sky again and a droplet of water pricked my skin, causing a shiver to run through my spine.

"Yes." I admitted. "I **_do _**know. Except it is something I don't want to accept."

Neji sighed.

"Such an idiot."

I looked downward. It was childish to cry in such a stupid situation. I hadn't even killed anyone. No one was breaking my heart. I wasn't hurt and there wasn't a fear inside my heart afraid of getting killed. It was the fear of killing someone that was getting to me. The fear of being someone who had ended another person's life. **_That _**is what got to me and it made me feel childish and scared and depressed. I wanted a reason to scream or run or hide.

"Don't cry." Neji firmly asserted, but there was an uneasiness in his voice as he looked at me.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't fucking apologize." Neji argued. "God Panda, just stop crying."

"He has to be still alive." I murmured. "There's no way I couldn't have killed him!"

The tears were falling down and so was the rain. It made me feel better though. It felt as if the drops were washing away my guilt, though it was still there but it was more washed out and lighter than it had been before ... more faint than the original feeling.

"It's a Tuesday." I stated.

Neji glanced over.

"That's random." He commented.

"Why am I crying on a Tuesday?" I demanded.

He gave me a 'WTF' look, sighing at my ridiculousness.

"Tuesdays ... are great." I elaborated vaguely. "So why am I crying?"

Neji rolled his eyes and loosened his tie with another sigh. He then rolled up his sleeves and leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes.

"Sometimes you make absolutely no sense." He muttered.

I released my tucked up knees and sunk onto the street, looking upwards, seeing the rain fall onto my head and into my eyes. The water hardly bothered me though. And as it trickled down the thunder in the sky boomed overhead, providing a strange comfort. Before it haunted me but now I liked it.

"Why me?" I questioned. "Why would the Devil use me?"

Neji rolled his head over to look at me.

"Your Devil is strong." He told me. "That is why."

I blinked.

"My Devil ..."

Neji rolled his head back.

"Yes." He repeated. "Your Devil inside of your is unbelievably strong and has the greatest resistance I've ever seen ... besides mine of course."

I wiped my tears a few times but the rain mixed in covered them now.

"Ino said you got the poison twice." I said.

"Yes." Neji confirmed. "That is my resistance. Mine is far greater than normal. And so is yours."

I didn't say anything for a while after that. Sitting here was calming me and I enjoyed the difference. The scene I had witnessed before was one of the most scarring memories that would survive with me the rest of my life. With the thunder in the background, it seemed like it was booming over all the looming questions and voices in my head. The bombastic sound seemed to drown out everything that had happened hours earlier.

At my right was my book bag. Inside was my cellphone and iPod. But I couldn't grab my iPod right now. The risk of it getting wet was too much for me, though I knew ways to keep it dry in the rain. The rhythm of music was implanted in my skull and thrived in my body. I could sing it.

"Neji ... do you like music?" I wondered.

Neji opened his tired eyes and looked at me.

"It depends on the kind." He replied, rolling back to his original position.

"Name a song." I told him. "90% chance I know it."

Neji sighed, folding his arms.

"Again." he said. "By Yui."

I smirked to myself, eyes closed.

"_Yume no tsuzuki,_" I sang. "_Oikaketeita hazu nano ni._"

Neji stared at me with wide eyes, amazed by my voice.

"_Magarikunetta hosoimichi hito ni tsumazuku_."

It was a song that started off and got intense. I had learned it a while back after watching Fullmetal Alchemist. It was the opening of the first episodes of Brotherhood.

"_Ano koro ni mitai ni tte modoritai wake janai no nakushitekita sora wo sagashiteru._"

This part was quick and short breathed. Neji was still astounded I could do it so perfectly. Music **_was _**my forte.

"_Wakattekuremasu you ni gisei ni natta you na kanashii kao wa yamete yo_."

I looked up at the rain, allowing the droplets to go into my mouth while I sang.

"_Tsumi no saigo wa namida janai yo zutto kurushiku seotte kun da_  
_ Deguchi mienai kanjou meiru ni_  
_ Dare wo matteru no_."

It now got loud and my voice barely was heard over the thunder.

"_Shiroi NOOTO ni tsuzutta you ni motto sunao ni hakidashitai yo_  
_ Nani kara nogaretainda_  
_ Genjitsu tte yatsu._"

I stopped there just before the chorus.

"I told you I would probably know it." I explained.

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"You're actually good at something." He commented. "Why is it you can sing so well?"

"Neji." I sighed, wiping my eyes again, making sure there were no traces of tears, despite the pouring rain. "Music is in my soul. It's my base."

"Hmm..." Neji pondered. "I wonder if that is the root of your Devil. Where you resistance comes from ..."

"Root?" I asked.

"Yes." Neji confirmed. "The source of where you get all of that resistance to the insanity of the Devil."

It was all confusing for me so I didn't quite get it and that was okay. I didn't want to be able to understand the strangeness and scariness of the Devil. I just didn't.

So I finished the song starting with the chorus, with the permission of Neji.

In English.

"_To chase my wishes I'll carry on living_  
_ And I will always remember the depths of the darkness_  
_ I'll face my demons and I'll no longer run away_  
_ There isn't a place to go_  
_ I'll lose this feeling of being so helpless_  
_ 'Cause my whole life is ahead of me_  
_ I'll quash the numbness_  
_ 'Cause pain's better than the emptiness_

I agreed that pain was better than emptiness. Emptiness was the feeling of absence ... of nothing there and I was afriad of it.

_ I must apologize, I've really messed up and_  
_ I am so ashamed_  
_ I may not say it much,_  
_ But I know that I make you worry all the time_

I did make people worry ... but that was okay. In the end, it was okay because I knew that people made me worry to and socially we were all connected in a way. Our Devil's ...

_Back then you always could accept the things I'd done_  
_ And you're still the same today so I'll try not to burden you_  
_ But try to realize that I have closed my eyes_  
_ Just because the world is too harsh_  
_ And I'm willing to blind myself_

Before, the only thing I wanted to do **_was _**to blind myself. I hated seeing the fact that I killed another human being.

_Rumors that they have spread about us_  
_ I do not know which was the first one_  
_ "We were friends from the second that we met,"_  
_ Just stop with the lies already_  
_ And my heart turned red with this passion_  
_ And it almost consumed my very being_  
_ 'Cause in truth I'd held onto hope_  
_ From this reality_

Reality sucked. It was the truth. It was the reason why I liked living in the world of a kid.

_To chase my wishes I'll carry on living_  
_ And I really want to scream out, but can you even hear me?_  
_ I'll face my demons, and I'll no longer run away_  
_ There isn't a place to go_  
_ I still am grateful for the care you've shown me_  
_ So I'll find the strength to make it count_  
_ I'll always move onward_  
_ Facing my friends and foes alike_

_ How do you unlock this door that has no key?_  
_ Can you think of a way?_

The key. It reminded me of the key that went into the Devil's door ... who would want the key to Hell?

_We can't go back to the beginning_  
_ The story is set, and our destinies too_

_ Open up your eyes_  
_ Open up your eyes_

_ I'll lose this feeling of being so helpless_  
_ 'Cause my whole life is ahead of me_  
_ And the things I once abandoned_  
_ I want to try and find again_

_ Come on, just one more time_

_ To chase my wishes I'll carry on living_  
_ And I really want to scream out, but can you even hear me?_  
_ I'll face my demons, and I'll no longer run away_  
_ There isn't a place to go_  
_ I still am grateful for the care you've shown me_  
_ So I'll find the strength to make it count_  
_ I'll quash the numbness_  
_ 'Cause pain's better than the emptiness_."

Finally after my small concert was over, Neji stood up.

"Let's get out of here." he stated. "At this rate we're not gonna fucking sleep." Though he knew I had already slept about two hours.

The bus ride was long and tiring and to be honest, for an hour I slept on it but decided it was rude because Neji had to stay up ... so I stayed up with him, sharing an earphone, though he was reluctant, and listening to Again by YUI over and over. But the only thing that made my body fully thank me was when I laid down on my warm bed, surrounded by the beautiful colors of my room and drifting off into a four hour sleep, the lifesaving thunder in the background.

* * *

**A/N: Grrr... talk about filler. Anyway. I need to stop putting music into my stories but I won't lie, I'm like Tenten and without music I will die! Legit ... I'll die. So yeah this chapter is just to round of the Russian Assassination ... 'arc'? Yeah. So I really think you should check out the song Again. It's by YUI and it's the first opening of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It's pretty amazing =) Like all music. Anywaaaaay. REVIEW GUYS CUZ YOU'RE GREAT!**


	12. Assassin

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 12: Assassins

"Hit me." I said it through gritted teeth, the expression on my face stern and serious.

"Excuse me?" Neji folded his arms.

It was right after school. I pulled him behind the building that the dorms resided in.

"I said hit me." I repeated. "Are you deaf?"

Neji scoffed.

"Tch. Are you fucking insane?" He questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm crazy." I quickly explained. "There's a difference. So hit me."

I folded my arms that shivered against the light breeze of the April air.

"Why should I?" Neji grumbled, annoyed.

I rolled my eyes and turned towards a crowd of kids walking into the building.

"Hey everybody!" I shouted towards them. "Did you know Neji's not wearing any underwear?"

Neji's eyes widened and he punched me hard in the shoulder.

It really hurt to be honest but only a smile spread across my face. It was exactly what I wanted.

"Happy?" Neji asked.

"Hmm ... And he didn't brush his teeth this morning!" I cried to the kids.

Neji raised his fist once more and went for my shoulder except this time, I blocked it with my hand. That still hurt, but my shoulder was spared.

Finally the pale boy raised both his eyebrows and smirked in realization.

"You should've just said you wanted to train." He informed me.

I sighed.

"Well I didn't think a stoic bastard like you would accept such a task." I admitted.

Neji frowned.

"Come here." He told me.

Nervously, I walked forward in front of him.

"Give me 50 push ups." Neji commanded, pointing towards the ground.

My eye twitched. If that was how he wanted it ...

I got down on my hands and knees. Then I took in a deep breath before lifting my knees off the ground. I started to do one push up, down and up before Neji stopped me.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a sigh.

"A push up." I grumbled.

"All the way down." Neji informed me with folded arms, standing above me.

"What?" I inquired, falling out of my push up.

"Stay." Neji shoved me back into position.

It hurt a lot and my arms burned.

Neji walked around the side of the building.

"Don't you dare move." He called over his shoulder.

In about a few more seconds he returned with a brick in his hand. I was scared for a second that he was going to put it on my back or something. Instead though, to my relief, he put it under me. I still didn't reach it though.

"Your chest needs to touch that every time you go down." Neji ordered.

"Are you serious?" I demanded, arms shaking.

"What? Does it look like I'm kidding?" Neji wondered, cocking his head to the side.

My arms weren't cold anymore. They shook, all the way down to the brick and back up. I did two more, hardly avoiding collapsing and wondering why I was so weak and how the heck would I be able to even get to fifty.

"You can do them in sets of ten." Neji said. "But tomorrow it will be in sets of twenty."

With my face burning red I stated annoyed, "Fifty isn't divisible by twenty!"

Neji smirked.

"Of course." He confirmed. "Tomorrow you have sixty."

I collapsed at ten, breathing heavily.

Neji shrugged.

"Guess you really are weak." He commented at my shaking body.

I would've been fine with doing push ups if I hadn't had to go all the way to the brick that seemed to be smaller than normal bricks.

"You have a 30 seconds." Neji continued. "Until your next set."

oOoOo

I rubbed my arms repeatedly, staring up at Neji angrily. The last fours sets of push ups had been horrible. I was so weak and just doing ten was bad enough when it came to ... the **_brick_**. Brick was now a word I couldn't stand in my vocabulary.

"Done with that?" Neji asked, talking about my constant rubbing of my arms.

I frowned.

"Yeah. Now what?"

Neji folded his arms and without thinking, answered, "100 crunches ... " He smirked. "With the brick."

"Tch." I scoffed. "Watch me."

I may have been terrible at push ups, but anything to do with my stomach was my forte. So I set the brick on my chest, dirtying my uniform. Then I started to do crunches. The first twenty weren't bad at all because my stomach was like a rock. After that it got a little difficult but nothing was too hard until fifty. It was embarrassing having to work so much in front of Neji, who was watching and observing me like a hawk, but I was determined to get the crunches right.

So I did my hundred and then totally collapsed, grasping my stomach.

Neji sighed.

"Not bad." He commented. "However towards the end you weren't going high enough."

I grimaced but didn't reply for about a minute.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Stretching." Neji remarked. "How flexible are you?"

"Very."

"Show me." He commanded.

I went down into my center splits. All that gymnastics from when I was nine wasn't all for nothing I suppose.

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"That's odd." He observed. "You're strangely pretty flexible. Can you do your other splits?"

I did a split roll into left leg splits and then switched to my left after twenty seconds.

"Well your flexibility won't be a problem." Neji concluded with relief in his voice. "That's normally the reason it takes so long to train someone combat. Since your flexibility is that good it won't take too long."

I nodded, rolling out of my splits, rubbing my arms once more. They still hurt from the push ups.

"So why did you **_want _**to train?" Neji asked me.

I sighed, falling back onto the new grass.

"Because ... I felt so useless yesterday." I replied solemnly, looking at the sun setting in the distance.

"Useless?" I saw Neji raise his eyebrows again for the umpteenth time. "Weren't you the one who completed the mission?"

"On a whim." I argued.

Neji rolled his eyes.

"Just get the fuck up." He mumbled.

I got up and before I knew it, he had my arms around my back and I was pinned.

"What would you do in this situation?" He questioned in my ear, his hot breath making my heart race.

I furrowed my eyebrows, annoyed by the pain in my shoulder that had just increased because of Neji.

_Where does he think I would strike?_

His stomach. Or his shin ...I can't go there so ...

With force, I stomped on his foot and his grip loosened slightly but still stayed.

"That wasn't terrible ... " Neji stated. "No one would anticipate a blow to their feet often but still ... It would be easier if you broke my arms."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I questioned.

"Try flipping me over and then jerking back so the weight is all on my arms." Neji explained.

"Well how the hell do I flip **_you _**over my head?" I grumbled.

Neji was making this harder than it should've been. He should've just given me a much simpler solution so I would tweak out of such things, but no. Now he had this flipping idea implanted in my head.

"What's going on over there?" It was Sakura, who was smirking at the awkward scene displayed before her.

"Pain ..." I growled. "That's what's going on ..."

"Flip me." Neji repeated.

"How," I repeated. "the **_fuck _**am I going-"

"Okay there is something wrong here." Sakura stated, rolling her eyes yet laughing loudly at the same time.

She walked away, calling over her shoulder, "You have fun with that Tenten!"

"Bitch please ..." I mumbled, not really meaning to call her a bitch.

"Are you going to do something or not?" Neji wondered.

I wriggled my fingers a few times. Neji was leaning on me and making it hard for me to move at all. Flipping him over my head was out of the question.

So why not jump?

I bounced up and down, annoying Neji highly.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked me, tightening his grip.

I knew what I was going to do now. Lifting him straight over my head would be difficult. So instead I dropped to the ground and then pushed him over, somersaulting myself so my arms wouldn't twist and break in his grip. I actually ended up landing on him.

Neji still had my arms though. Oh well. I flipped him.

"Not terrible." Neji commented. "But sloppy and unreliable. Don't even think about doing that in real life."

I shrugged, stretching as he released his tight grip.

"Can I go back now?" I questioned.

"One more thing." Neji grabbed my wrist and swung me back. "Idiot. We have to work on your damn reflexes."

After that I didn't know reflexes could be so painful.

oOoOo

The next day after school, it was hard. Neji made me do more push ups and my arms were already sore from the day before. The crunches were increased to 120 ... there were even more situations that he gave me to try and escape from. He had several positions that he made me work from and he made me extremely exhausted.

Wednesday was the same. The crunches were moved to 130 ... more push ups in high sets ... and I now could successfully escape through a couple of situations, though Neji told me that I was still sloppy. It was the third day so I should've been even more tired however I was the same as the day before, which was still pretty worn out still.

Throughout that week, Neji didn't take me on any assassinations. He said that he spoke to the Devil and told him what he was doing. Speaking of which, I hadn't talked to the Devil in a while however there were a couple dreams that he had been in, haunting me,

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were slightly worried for me. When I arrived at school my eyes would have dark circles from lack of sleep. Neji never worked me past nine but because of my body being all hyped up at that time of the night, I hardly slept. Also, I was a little slow at everything going on around me.

However. By then end of the second week, things started to change. My body was beginning to get use to the push ups and awkward conditioning I had to go through. Energy seemed to be returning. My reflexes were quicker. 17 days of endless work made a difference. But it still wasn't over.

"Tenten." Neji said after 21 days, a warm Saturday in early May. "There's something else you must learn."

"Something else?" I wondered.

"Yeah." He remarked. "It'll be hard for an over emotional girl like you though."

I bonked him on the head.

"Ow." He growled. "What the fuck?"

"Be nice." I ordered.

Neji folded his arms and stared at me with an intense glare.

"Get serious, Panda." He commanded, flicking my nose.

I rubbed my face, annoyed. Neji was being too much of a jerk. He should be proud of me.

"So what is it I need to learn?" I inquired.

Neji sighed.

"Mental stability." He replied. "The ability to stay calm in terrifying situations and think through them clearly."

This sounded troublesome ... especially for a girl like me. I was the kind of person who would overreact even if a situation didn't call for such a reaction.

"Tenten," Neji said. "A man holds a detonator. It's to blow up **_that _**school-" he points the high school. "with all those innocent kids. Unless you kill me right in front of him, the school gets blown up. But, if you do what he says, the school is spared."

I blinked, astounded.

"What do you do?" Neji asked, testing me.

I folded my arms.

"Neither."

"Pardon?" Neji questioned. "That's not a damn option."

I sighed.

"I would choose neither." I repeated. "I would probably just attack him no matter the situation, or get myself killed so I didn't have the decision weighed upon me. I'd rather die than have innocent lives die because of me."

Neji rolled his eyes.

"You were supposed to choose **_me_**." He informed me.

"Oh hellz no." I answered. "You may be the most stoic bastard ever to roam the Earth-" glare from Neji "but you don't deserve to die over it."

Neji was taken aback and didn't know how to answer. So that jerk changed the subject.

He sent a punch flying towards my stomach and I blocked it with a kick.

oOoOo

It was about nine when I decided to take a shower. I grabbed some yellow sweats and an orange cami and put them in the bathroom. Setting my iPod down, I started to take of my shirt and something caught my sight in the mirror. My freaking **_stomach_**.

"When the hell did I get abs?" I wondered aloud. "Fricken six pack ..." I murmured under my breath.

Then when my shirt was removed, I looked at my arms ... they were still small but muscular at the same time. Nice and toned.

I smirked at myself in the mirror. This was pretty sweet.

My body was no longer awkwardly skinny. It was healthy and toned.

So I got in the shower happily, finally noticing the difference compared to the month before that. While in the shower, I sent random kicks in the air, nearly missing kicking my head.

After my shower, I raided my mini-fridge and pulled out strawberries and whipped cream. And while listening to a lot of music and eating strawberries, I laid on my comfortable bed, surrounded by the awesome colors of my room.

oOoOo

"Sweet body." Naruto commented, checking out my arms that I was stretching out at lunch. "Someone's been training with Neji."

I smirked.

"Yeah." Then I looked all the down that table at the ice cube himself.

He was eating a salad slowly, eyes transfixed in a daze.

Kiba patted me on the back.

"Good job!" He congratulated. "No one ever survives **_his _**training."

I raised an eyebrow, looking at the pissed Hyuuga.

"Gee I wonder why." I said, folding my arms.

"I know you're talking about me." He informed us.

I gasped. How the hell does he hear such things from across the table. God. Along with super vision did he have super hearing?

"Oh don't listen to him." Ino stuck her tongue out at Neji.

"Yeah." Sakura put in. "You're a real assassin **_now_**!"

* * *

**A/N: And for the record, Tenten has _definitely _not reached her full potential yet. She hasn't been on a true assassination assignment yet either. Just wait xD Lol. Neji's training is like my dance class. Speaking of which, I had it from 10 AM to 2 PM then I had to go back at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM to help mentor and choreograph the little kids' dances. Baha too much work for a hormonal fourteen year old. Lol I'll explode. Anyway, I hope you guys like the direction of the story ... thanks for ready=)**

**R&R!  
**


	13. Solo

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 13: Solo

The good thing about May was the warmth. I didn't have to worry about the awkward winds greeting me when I left the dorm building. The nice weather always made it much more pleasant to get up and find the energy to go to school. It was also nicer outside of school like waiting for the bus stop and such.

In first hour Algebra II, Hinata and I were working on the assignment while trying to keep Shikamaru awake. It was highly amusing actually to see him sleep through class. Asuma would just shake his head then come to quiz him. Of course Shikamaru would get everything correct without even looking at his assignment. God damn genius fricken memorized all the answers and what numbers they corresponded with. I didn't know anyone as smart as him ... well maybe Neji being in Pre-Calc and all ... still. Shikamaru would've been in that class if he hadn't fallen asleep on his exam the year before. Information that came to me via Yamanaka Ino.

Then in Japanese we totally had to write these annoying five page essays and I finished second. Ha! And I beat everyone too! Mine was apparently the most accurate ... according to Kurenai that is. Sasuke kept arguing, saying that his was better but it was too dark and emo for Kurenai.

Geography was horrible. We had to create maps. I sucked ... bad.

Lunch was the best part of the day because there was chocolate cake and mochi ice cream for two dollars, total!

Chinese was okay except Neji and were having glaring contests and I think he won, unfortunately. Anko was laughing her ass off when I fell out of my chair.

Then there was violin which was ... so-so.

And finally Biology ... which was the same as it was normally ... Extremely awkward.

At the end of the day when I was by my locker I felt a tug at my elbow.

Neji.

"What?" I grumbled at the teen who had been training me.

"We're going on an assassination." He muttered. "Come on."

And so he pulled me away from the school without further notice.

oOoOo

"I hate this stupid bus." I complained, crossing my arms.

"Get over it." Neji replied.

I gripped my book bag, annoyed.

"You're going to go broke." I informed him, implying the bus fare.

"No I won't." He replied, practically scooting away from me.

That stupid jerk always made us ride the bus. If he wasn't going to go broke he should buy a freaking car for a change so we didn't have to come back all bloody in front of the other passengers. They'd look at us awkwardly most of the time ... unless we come back late at night when all the creeps are about, then we fit in ... which is **_not _**a good thing.

"Oh **_sure _**you won't." I remarked in a mimicking tone.

Neji gave me a look of annoyance.

"Don't forget who fucking trained you." He answered, monotone.

"We're on a bus." I hissed close to his ear. "**_Kids_**." I referred the ten year old's across from us, staring wide-eyed at the Hyuuga who had just *gasp* said the "F" word.

Neji raised his eyebrows.

"And?"

Their mother glared at us angrily for the rest of the bus ride. Thank you Neji for that.

It was a short bus ride though, thankfully. Actually the location was somewhere in Konoha so I was lucky.

"So where is it exactly?" I asked, smoothing my uniform as I hopped off the bus steps.

"The Devil said he would be in the graveyard and twenty minutes." Neji replied.

"Excuse me?" I asked. "The Devil **_knew _**that?"

Neji raised another eyebrow.

"Panda ... there's so much you don't know about **_him_**."

I frowned at the fact he still called me Panda, but felt inferior and a little scared because there were things about the Devil that I **_didn't _**know.

"Let's just go." Neji stated, after seeing me in a trance.

I followed him around the market even though I knew exactly where we were going and knew how to get there. The graveyard. There was only one public one that nearly everyone used. I had been there only once. It was at my father's funeral.

Going to the graveyard once again wasn't really on my top ten things to do but ... I knew I had to do it though or a certain Devil would be pissed.

oOoOo

"Do you see him?" Neji questioned.

We were crouching behind a nearby bathroom.

"The man with the awkward red hair?" I suggested.

Neji rolled his eyes at my immaturity but nodded at the same time.

"Yes." He answered. "That's him."

Our target knelt down by a grave placing flowers on the one next to it.

"Oh I don't want to kill him." I complained. "Can we spare him?"

I felt sorry for the poor guy, mourning.

"He's a grave robber." Neji replied. "He stole a lot from the Devil also."

"Tch." I mumbled. "Like I care who stole from the Devil."

Neji looked at me skeptically.

"Watch what you say, Panda." Neji advised. "He might order one of us to kill you."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Would you?" I challenged, looking at him.

It seemed to take him off guard. Ha. Serves that ass right.

"What?" he questioned.

"**_Would _**you kill me if ordered?" I inquired again.

Neji furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's such a stupid question ..." He mumbled.

"So then it must have a simple answer." I pried. "Would you?"

Neji finally shrugged it off after a few tense seconds.

"Don't know what I'd do." He remarked. "It depends on how moody you were acting."

I frowned but left it at that.

"You should try to take care of this one yourself." Neji informed me, staring at the red haired man.

_Solo? ... Solo it up *smirk*_

"Jump him when he starts digging." Hyuuga ordered.

I nodded sharply.

It wasn't too hard of a task. I knew Neji would back me up if things got ugly. He wouldn't have told me to try and take care of it myself either if he wasn't confident about Redhead's bad fighting skills. For some reason, I knew deep down, Neji wouldn't put me in a situation I couldn't handle ... at least without him there that is.

I crept along close to the ground to the target's back, making sure he didn't notice me. Up above I noticed it was going to rain ... again. It always seemed to rain whenever there were assassinations that involved me attacking someone.

The droplets tickled my skin while I got closer and the moment I got close to his back I stood up.

Neji had taught me how to 'sneak' around and be quiet. It was probably the reason the man didn't notice me. And I wouldn't lie. I was really nervous.

I brought my right foot back and glanced over at Neji, who gave me a nod. Then when I got his signal, I kicked my right leg up, shoving it into the tall man's side of the neck.

He clambered forward on his knees, dropping the shovel. It took the man a moment to realize what just happened. He rubbed his head several times before whipping his body around to face me.

"What the **_fuck_**?" He cried, nearly clipping me with his fists that waved everywhere.

I took a swift step back and held my arms up in defense, examining his position ... observing my surroundings. It was easier to stay calm this time but I was still nervous. Then again, this time the target didn't have a gun pointed at me.

"Who the hell are you?" Redhead demanded. "And why the fuck did you kick me in the damn head?"

He advanced forward and instead of stepping backwards, this time I stepped forward also, showing him I wasn't terrified of him.

"Why do you think I did?" I grumbled.

He narrowed his eyes, as if examining me also.

Then Redhead made his move. He went for my knees with a quick kick. My nervousness caused my reflexes to slow down a little. I fell onto the ground but grabbed the man's knees so he fell back and hit his head against the grave stone.

My target howled in pain and I scrambled back up into a defensive position. It eased my nerves a little because I knew now that I had even more of an advantage.

I was about to knock him out when a thumping sound from behind the redhead peeked my curiosity.

So I peered over his head and realized he had the gravestone tightly gripped and was twisting it multiple times.

_What the hell is he doing?_

It took me a moment to realize it because the action was so odd. But he was digging up the gravestone.

When Redhead pried it free of the ground, he quickly stood back up on his feet, staggering in the process, the gravestone in his hands.

My jaw dropped.

"What the fuck are you gonna do with that things?" I demanded. "Hit me?"

His grimace turned into a twisted and sadistic smirk that reminded me of watery he **_giggled. _**He didn't freaking laugh. He didn't chuckle. He _**giggled.**_

I felt my fist tighten, not daring to look over at Neji, who was standing nearby though I long to see his facial expression at the moment and his whole intake of the gravestone weapon.

Now. The gravestone completely changed the game and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to beat him now that his killing tool choice was a goddamn grave.

So I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Whoever's grave that is ... will haunt you!" I cried in an eerie tone.

He blinked a few times as if the word 'haunt' hadn't been in his vocabulary. Perhaps he hit his head a bit too hard on the grave ...

Before I could comprehend his thoughts, he sent a kick straight to my stomach, which I blocked with my knee. I wasn't supposed to block it that way and it hurt but it was better than my stomach being the victim of the attack.

"Bitch ..." He muttered, unhappy about my block.

I frowned at the new nickname he had 'come up' with for me. I preferred Panda.

Holding my fist up I smirked. There was no way I was going to let him win this.

I faked a punch to his left and brought my leg upwards to kick the other side of his face instead.

Still, the gravestone homed itself in on my left leg. Pain exploded and I couldn't help but scream. However, I kept my head in the battle ... with one big thrust of my foot, I crushed his face, most likely breaking his nose, probably giving him a black eye ... and definitely knocking him out.

There were slow claps from behind me as I dusted of my hands.

Neji.

"You can kill him." I informed the long haired boy, making sure he knew I still wasn't comfortable with killing people.

"Of course." Neji confirmed. "That was pretty good, Panda. Not as good as me though ..."

I shrugged, glancing down at him as the rain started to fall harder and harder but this time without the thunder.

"I suppose." I answered. "But who would've fricken knew he would use a gravestone."

* * *

**A/N: Omo ... how did I get so evil? Lolz. Updating with such a short chapter. Haha oh well. My life is getting kind of creepy. If you read my last story you'll know about the issues I have with a gang. Yes. A legit gang. And one of their members really wants me dead ... because I told him he never should've gotten my friend prego ... I mean come ON! We're fourteen ... they don't need to have kids. Psh. Immature teens... oh weeeeell. I hope you enjoy just a little. Because bit by bit Tenten is becoming more kick ass =) Review ... yes? Sooo R&R! **


	14. Fear of Loss

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 14: Fear of Loss

_"Just gonna **stand **there and watch me **burn**."_

I sighed, curling up my knees so they were pressed up against my chest.

_"But that's alright because I like the way it **hurts**_**.'**

Another breath escaped my lips as I closed my eyes and put my head back against the headboard of my bed.

It was dark in my room but the faint light of the moon shone through my window, giving a slight eerie glow that illuminated my face. I saw the fuzzy image through my mirror far across from me. Because it was a ways away from my eyes, I couldn't see it, my glasses rested somewhere in the bathroom.

_'Just gonna **stand **there and hear me **cry**_ ... _but that's alright because I love the way you lie. I love the way you **lie.**"_

Lies.

_'I can't tell you what it really is! I can only tell you what it feels like!"_

Love The Way You Lie played continuously in the background. I had my iPod on repeat and the song played about five times. Though there were only few words I understood because it was one of the many songs in English on my iPod, I looked up the translation and also heard the pain in Eminem's and Rihanna's voices.

_"And right now there's a steel knife in my windpipe!"_

oOoOo

_'Everyone thinks that I have it all, but it's so empty living behind these castle walls."_

I laid back in bed sighing. It was now three in the morning, almost four. I didn't know how I was going to fall asleep now._  
_

_"If I should tumble, if I should fall, would anyone hear me screaming behind these castle walls ... there's no one here at all."_

In my bed I felt confined. I couldn't find the motivation to get up or want to go to school the next day nor find the will to try and go to sleep. It was a Friday night but it's not like that mattered anyway. Sleep would've been like an escape for m by now.

oOoOo

"Get up."

I was too tired at seven in the morning to know who it was.

"Ask nicely." I mumbled, rolling over.

"Get the **_fuck _**up."

I knew who it was now so I turned back and opened my eyes, squinting, muttering some unknown words.

"Neji ... why ... seven ... early ..."

He sighed and pulled me by the arm, nearly yanking me out of the bed.

"Ow ..." I whispered, rubbing my head. "Why so early?"

"Because we have something to take care of." He murmured in my ear.

His hot breath sent shivers through my spine.

Then Neji surprised me but gently lifting me off the floor and seemed to check if I was okay.

I gave him a funny look. That was a change of attitude. He was being surprisingly **_nice _**today.

"Neji ... ?"

"Hurry up. We need to go quickly." He explained, tugging at me to leave.

"Hang on." I mumbled. "Turn away."

Neji walked to the door way and crossed his arms, facing away from me.

I slipped into a pair of shorts and put on an orange cami. I used to feel awkward around guys but Neji wasn't going to make a move, especially on an assassination. Then I put my hair up in two buns, knowing that Neji's Panda calling would happen either way.

"Are you ready yet? You take a long time." Neji informed me, but his tone was much less icy than normal.

I gave another questioning look while I put down the mascara, however, I didn't say anything.

"Come on. Hurry up."

I realized he was still facing the opposite direction so I hurried out the room, locking the door behind me, knowing that Neji still knew where my spare key was anyways. I hoped he put it back.

It took me a moment to realize that we weren't going to the bus stop. Neji was leading me behind the dorm buildings and a couple hundred feet from where he trained me. The student parking lot.

"Where are we going?"

Neji didn't respond.

He brought out a key from his jean pocket and clicked a button on it. His car beeped and I looked around for it.

Nleji drove a Mitsubishi Eclipse. A Goddamn sports car.

"Why are we taking a car now?" I demanded and again, Neji didn't answer my question.

I frowned putting my hands on my hips.

Neji ignored my unhappy face and motioned towards the passengers seat.

I sighed as I entered the car, annoyed by his muteness this morning.

He started the engine and then began to back out.

"Are we going on an assassination?" I inquired, wanting an answer.

Neji looked at me and I thought his expression changed for a second but maybe it didn't. He wasn't chewing gum either though ...

"Yes." He remarked.

"Why are we taking your car now and we didn't we ever take it ever before?" I continued to ask.

"Gas is expensive." Neji said.

"Liar." I mumbled.

Neji glanced over at me with raised eyebrows.

"Why are you acting so weird today?" I grumbled. "Tel me now or I won't do anything."

I saw Neji's lips part and his gaze shift towards the floor.

"What?" I demanded. "What is it?"

Was he actually having difficult saying something?

"Your mother, Yuri ... she's been kidnapped." Neji immediately avoided eye contact.

And it took me a moment to realize what he was actually saying.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

There was a pause as Neji didn't respond.

"What the hell?" I cried. "By who? **_How_**? And WHEN?"

Neji was still finding it difficult to answer and I realized that this must've been the reason that he was being nicer and using the car.

"So where are we going?" I interrogated.

"To go and kill the kidnapper." Neji remarked.

I grimaced. Something was totally wrong here. The pieces didn't fit and there was something seriously out of order.

"How do you know about this?" I asked suspiciously.

Neji still avoided eye contact. It was so weird because he was normally so cold and intimidating. He still wasn't telling me something ...

"The Devil." Neji remarked.

"Pardon?"

"He ordered Max to do it." Neji continued.

"Max?" I cried. "Who the hell is Max?"

This all didn't make sense and I found my heart race faster as Neji stopped at a red light.

"He's the one who poisoned you." Neji said, he gripped the steering wheel tightly, still holding back information.

"And?" I asked. "Why would he go after my **_mom_**?"

Emotions inside of the sports car were running high and they were mostly mine but I was **_pissed_**, scared, and confused.

"Because the Devil is the fucking **_Devil_**!" Neji cried close to my ears. "Do you think he's gonna be nice and just let us kill his targets? His purpose is solely to torture humans!"

Neji's eyebrows were so furrowed together I thought they would run into his eyeballs.

I felt my eyes tear up but I refused to cry.

"So ... can we save her?" I asked.

Neji looked at me straight in the eyes.

"If we **_hurry_**." He responded, stepping on the gas petal just as the light turned green.

I clutched my book bag tightly, staring down at one of my Fairy Tail pins. Natsu looked back at me from the pin, his fist covered in fire. I remembered the fiery will that most anime characters had and I tried to feel it inside of me but my worrying overcame it.

Then ... it suddenly hit me. I was not going to let my mother die. There was no way ...

"Go faster." I said in a commanding tone.

Neji took my advice and we sped down the road through Konoha, Neji knowing the way.

"Where is it?" I wondered, feeling my beating heart speed up at the thought of the assassination about to happen. I didn't want my mother to see me kill anyone.

"Somewhere on Yume Avenue ..." Neji mumbled, his mind focused on something else.

He sharply turned the corner with a screech as we hit a dead end. The road was blocked by large orange cones.

Without thinking, once the car stopped, I leaped out, slinging my bag so it hung over my back and sprinted past the cones. Neji ran along beside me, letting me know that I was heading in the right direction.

I felt my phone wobble around in my shorts pocket annoyingly ...

"Right." Neji ordered and I took a quick turn to the right and came to a stop.

Down the street to the left was Yume Avenue. It was so close ... and so were the screams that echoed through the air.

Involuntary tears came down from my eyes and stained my cheeks. I glanced over at Neji and he nodded at me. I was so scared at the moment ... the fear was real, inside of my body, consuming me as a whole, I couldn't let it go and I couldn't fight it off.

So we both darted at full speed down to where our destination was. I felt my heart race and my mind was in a million places but still thinking about one thing.

"Mom!" I screeched, skidding to a stop, sliding as I turned.

I arrived just in time to see the knife plunge into Yuri's body.

The moment I saw it, I experienced a shock wave that ran through my body. It was denial. For the first thirty seconds, I tried to wake myself up, thinking this was some sort of dream and I was going to be okay in the morning. But the more I tried to wake up, the more I realized this was no dream.

"She has to be alive." I mumbled, bringing my hands up to my mouth to stop the tears from being consumed.

"Tenten!" Neji grabbed at my shoulder but I pulled away sharply. "She's dead! That blade has the same poison you were injected with! It's an instant death for anyone who doesn't have an awakened Devil!"

Looking at Yuri's lifeless body, I started to believe it more and more which made me angry with myself because then I thought that I was giving up.

"She can't be ... she can't be ..."

Max looked at me with raised eyebrows. He had blonde hair but it was obviously died. He was tall and skinny and looked to nonchalant to have just poisoned my mom.

"Give her back!" I demanded. "Give her fucking back!"

I ran over to her bloodied body and touched her cold and pale face.

Max sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Neji looked over at him and then walked to me. They obviously knew each other but I was to preoccupied with my mother to care about their relationship.

"Mom ... " I mumbled. "Please wake up ... please ..."

Neji touched my shoulder and I didn't brush him off.

"Tenten," he said. "We can move the body but she's **_dead._**"

"NO!" I screamed, piercing the air.

I frowned.

"Fuck it, Tenten!" Neji yelled. "You're so goddamn stubborn!"

Max sighed again but didn't say anything.

Neji just sat down cross legged, with his head in his lap.

I touched my mother's wound and closed my eyes, begging her to not be dead.

And then I wasn't there anymore. I fluttered open my eyes and was in a familiar dark, red room.

Hell.

* * *

**A/N: Oh daaang! Just waaaait! You guys are gonna love the next chapter =D I think so at least. Sorry, I had a bit of a late update. Oh wellziess. It's preeeetty intense now right? Yeah well anyways ... R&R guys because I love your reviews ... they kinda like ... make my life xD Jk. But they're great.**


	15. Revive

_. Lucifer .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 15: Revive.

Hell was always the same. It was dark. It was gloomy. And it spoke insanity.

I felt the sweat from my forehead drip down and heard it clunk onto the floor. That was how deadly the silence was. The insanity was amplified ... the purpose was to play with my mind until I gave up and rotted at the spot. At least, that was my intake on the situation.

And of course, the problem was never getting in, it was getting out. This time, I felt totally uninvited ... I felt like I wasn't supposed to be there. For some reason I didn't think that the Devil would give me an easy exit this time. It seemed I was breaking a rule.

How did I get here anyway? All I did was touch my mother's dead body. Did that trigger my entrance to Hell? Was it the reason I had arrived here, because I touched someone dead? But I had touched other dead people before. One person. The one I killed. I didn't desperately wish he was alive though at the time. Could that have been the difference?

I wasn't sure. This all could've been part of the mind game to get me to go insane ...

My thoughts were interrupted by a sharp scream ... no two ... no a crowd of screams that gradually increased in number. They pierced the dead air and made me collapse to my knees. It was the same pain the Devil had caused me before the last time we met except it was on a lower scale, but the eeriness was far greater.

Where were they coming from? Who was screaming? And why? Why were they screaming so painfully?

I clutched my chest, wrapping my arms around so they touched my back. It felt as if my heart was going to explode. Not only with the pain of losing my mother, but it was bursting at the thought of all the frightened people that were making the deadly noises ... bursting at the thought that they could possibly be even fake.

"Help! Somebody help!" The shrieks became louder and they were more desperate than anything. They didn't sound nearly as scared as they were desperate.

"Please! Get me out of here!"

"Someone! Help!"

"Save me!"

"Please! Please! Take it all away!"

My hands moved up to my ears and my bare legs grew goosebumps. Tears were rolling down my cheeks and I experienced an emotional breakdown. The human inside of me, not the Devil, wanting to help the people who were screaming and being tortured by something unknown to me.

I lost myself in my pain ... until I heard a very familiar scream.

"Wh-where am I? Help me!"

It was my mom. She was dead in Hell.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I didn't know where she was and I didn't want her to be in Hell while she was dead. I wanted her to be in Heaven ... but I didn't even know if such a thing existed. If there was God, how could he let me suffer such pain?

"M-Mom!" I called, knowing it was hopeless. She was already dead and I couldn't pull her back.

"Please ... someone get me out of here!"

My ears perked at the closeness of her voice.

I sprang up from my fetal position on the floor and wiped my tears, filled with hopeless inspiration. She was close, but I just didn't know where. I had to find out though. The drive and motivation inside of me was going to push me forward. Even if she was dead, I still wanted to find her, and talk to her one last time.

So I began to sprint towards her heavy sobs. I ran as fast as I could, sliding around red corners, past random giggles, past things that were crawling around the ground ... I had to find her.

My breath quickened and I felt my legs get heavy way to easy ... I had to find her ... I had to.

_I found God ... on the corner of first and Armistad._

You Found Me played in my head, causing more tears to fall. I didn't want to be to late.

_Where the West, was all but won.  
All alone, smoking his last cigarette.  
said "Where you been?" He said "Ask anything."_

My pace quickened as I tried to decipher my mom's voice through the crowd of screaming people's.

_Where were you_  
_ When everything was falling apart?_  
_ All my days_  
_ Were spent by the telephone_  
_ That never rang_  
_ And all I needed was a call_  
_ That never came_  
_ To the corner of First and Amistad._

Where was I? I was sleeping when everything fell apart. I was too late to save her ...

_Lost and insecure_  
_ You found me, you found me_  
_ Lyin' on the floor_  
_ Surrounded, surrounded_  
_ Why'd you have to wait?_  
_ Where were you? Where were you?_  
_ Just a little late_  
_ You found me, you found me..._

It was true. Yuri dropped dead right before me. I couldn't do anything. Too late ...

_Early morning_  
_ The city breaks_  
_ I've been callin'_  
_ For years and years and years and years_  
_ And you never left me no messages_  
_ Ya never send me no letters_  
_ You got some kinda nerve_  
_ Taking all I want..._

I wished that I had talked to my mom more. I wished that I had done more with her and visited her more ...

_Lost and insecure_  
_ You found me, you found me_  
_ Lyin' on the floor_  
_ Surrounded, surrounded_  
_ Why'd you have to wait?_  
_ Where were you? Where were you?_  
_ Just a little late_  
_ You found me, you found me_  
_ Why'd you have to wait?_  
_ To find me, to find me._

I was too late to-

"Tenten!"

"Mom!"

I stopped abruptly and saw a distorted image of my mother in front of me, wearing the same clothes as she did when she died, the wound clearly shown. Expect she looked slightly blurred. I shivered watching her ... seeing the blood.

Distinctively, I reached out for her but my hand barely got through. It was halfway in but was caught in something thick ... it was invisible but I couldn't quite get through.

"Tenten ..." Yuri sobbed, clutching her stomach where the knife had gone through.

My hands shook at the willpower it took to move my hand. I wasn't even sure I could get it free ... but I still took the chance of going all the way in. My hand made it through and the moment it did it felt dead and lifeless. The pain caused me to squeeze my eyes shut but I kept going in until I clutched my mother's hand, not willing to let go for anything.

"Tenten!"

"I'm not letting you go no matter what!" I screeched, tears falling from my cheeks to the floor, the screaming people in the air getting louder.

Yuri squeezed back but didn't move.

"Mom ... you're coming with!" I yanked at her hand and still, she hardly moved.

She still didn't budge. Her eyes were swelling with tears and she was having a hard time looking me in the eye.

"I ... can't pass!" She exclaimed. "Let me go! I'm already dead!"

I frowned and refused to follow her orders.

"No ... you're coming with!" I retorted.

Yuri gritted her teeth.

"Goddammit. Tenten!" She cried. "Listen to your mother for **_one _**time in your life!"

I shook my head, feeling the energy in my body grow greater. Biting my lip, I yanked harder and her body slowly eased through the invisible barrier. As she passed through, I felt the energy in my body drain and my strength was starting to disappear.

It felt like my legs would give out at any moment but something urged me further. She was only halfway through and I felt like I was dying already. My body shook with effort ...

I blinked a few times and realized that I was on the verge of blacking out. My vision was literally fading by the second and I shook my head vigorously in order to stay awak.

"You're coming back with me!" I yelped, feeling the pain in my body increase immensely once more.

Yuri sobbed so loudly, her cries nearly drowned out the screams of agony from behind us. The combination of her tears and painful screeches was almost unbearable, especially with my body already in so much pain ... I felt like I was stuck in an impossible situation.

My life felt completely drained as I pulled out my mom, who fell forward with great force that was leftover from my pulling.

I stumbled back, breathing heavily, eyes closed. Then, I hit something soft around my shoulders and my eyes fluttered open. It was bright now ... I was back outside, my mother was on the ground breathing, and I was shaking, Neji holding my shoulders as I panted.

"Tenten!" He exclaimed.

I turned and saw his surprised face. He dropped me and I fell onto the concrete, giving him an odd look.

"What?" I asked, feeling lightheaded, unable to get up.

It was then that I realized my mother was still alive and I was really out of Hell.

Neji sat down and put his head in his hands. I'd never seen him so emotional before, normally he was so cold ...

"Tenten ..." He repeated quietly.

"What ... ?" I demanded, annoyed by his quietness.

"You ... "He glanced at me reluctantly. "Have the reviving power ..."

I blinked and tried to get up, still unable to so I sat back down.

"Reviving?" I stated, confused. "What does that exactly mean?"

"You can revive people who have died." Neji answered, standing up. He glanced over at Yuri, as if checking if she were really alive.

I blinked again. It was all so confusing. I was filled more with relief over my mother still being alive to care about the reviving thing ... but it perked my interest.

Max was leaning against a brick wall, watching us intently. He scoffed.

"Not bad." He commented.

I narrowed my eyes, attempting to get up, still failing.

"**_You're _**the one who killed her in the first place!" I accused, pointing at him.

Max rolled his eyes.

"I did what I was ordered to do." He explained. "It's nothing personal."

I frowned at his nonchalant attitude and he smirked.

"Unless you want it to be." He added.

Neji sighed at Max, giving him a sort of death glare.

"Damn, Hyuuga." Max said to him. "I definitely don't want to be in trouble with you. What's with the pissed look?"

I was so confused right now. I understood Max was ordered to kill my mother ... but what exactly was his connection with Neji? He was the who poisoned me too ... !

"Wait a second!" I cried, trying to jump up, but remaining on the ground. "You poisoned me?"

Max chuckled.

"How's the ground?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

_Oh god this is exactly what I need. Another goddamn Hyuuga Neji ..._

"Shut up!" I was pissed at his arrogance. That stupid smirk he was wearing. "I'm just ... tired."

"That's what the reviving power does to you." Neji explained.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I was warmed by his actions but more curious about the reviving power than his niceness.

"It takes away your energy ... " He paused. "Until the exhaustion either kills you or you lose the power altogether."

Lose the power? What was he talking about?

"What?" I inquired. "How do you know?"

"Because ... " Neji replied with a pause again. "It happened to Ino."

"Ino?" I asked.

Neji nodded sharply.

"Yes. She used to have it." He told me, still gripping my arm tightly so I didn't fall. "But it put too much exhaustion on her body. She can't use it anymore. One more time and she will most likely **_die_**."

I gulped. It was that dangerous? I suppose a visit in Hell probably wasn't the best thing in the world for your body's health.

"Tch." Max mumbled. "Ino ..."

Neji smirked, despite the serious conversation.

"Shut up, Max." He said. "Don't pretend you didn't like her."

This made my head spin. Max and Ino? The two blonds?

Max crinkled his nose but didn't respond for about a half a minute.

"There was nothing between us." He remarked.

The great liar I was ... knew that he was lying but didn't say anything.

Yuri panted and tried to rise to her feet. She looked around her and realized that there was blood on the ground, but it didn't cover her.

"What happened?" She questioned more to herself.

"Mom!" I cried. "You have to go home! It's right around that block." I pointed to the road that lead to her house.

"How did I get here?" She inquired.

"Sleepwalking." I immediately answered. "God mom. How the hell do you even do that during the day?"

Yuri rubbed her head.

"I don't know ..." She mumbled, believing the lie.

I was thankful that she didn't remember dying and I supposed that was an effect of the reviving thing ... or was it?

"Do you need help walking home?" I offered.

Yuri looked between me, Neji and then to Max. She noticed the tension between us and smirked.

"I'll leave you three where you were." She replied, stumbling towards her house that was a half mile away. "Love you!" She called.

"Love you too!" I cried, not caring about Max or Neji's presence.

As she staggered away, I sighed once more in relief. It was a good thing that she didn't remember ...

"Go away." Neji harshly told Max.

Max raised an eyebrow, rolling his eyes again.

"Fine." He mumbled. "See you later ... if the Devil doesn't kill me."

Just then his image blurred and became distorted. Suddenly he disappeared.

"Whoa ..." I commented. "What was that?"

"Devil transportation." Neji answered. "It's another type of special Devil power. I'll explain later."

"Oh ..." I still leaned on him for support.

There was a silence.

"Can you walk?" Neji questioned.

"Tch." I mumbled. Was he crazy? "Of course not."

Neji looked at me with a slightly annoyed look but if finally faded.

Sighing, he bent down and grabbed my legs. That was how he ended up carrying me on his back all the way to his car.

"Neji ..." I said, feeling really tired.

"What?" His cold tone had returned.

"Is this power I have a really bad thing?" I questioned.

"Don't worry about it." He remarked, annoyed.

I furrowed my eyebrows. How could he say that after what he had told me about Ino. I felt one of my fists tighten and my eyes squeeze shut, confused.

"Neji, I don't think I can-"

"Shut up, Panda." He interrupted, glancing backwards at me.

I didn't speak the rest of the way and I didn't remember falling asleep in his car ...

* * *

**A/N: Oh daaaang again. That was pretty intense. Everyone kept asking me if Tenten had a special power because Neji had the power to see people's Devils. Well Tenten's is reviving people ... OH SNAP! xD Yaaa. And then there's Max. He's pretty cool. I'm not gonna lieee. I might have named if after Changmin of TVXQ ... posssssibbbbly ! Yeah anyway, thanks for reading and REVIEW CUZ I LOVE YOU!**


	16. Slave

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 16: Slave

"Where the hell are we?"

It was the question I asked as my vision came into focus. I blinked a few times and glanced around, taking in the scent of something that smelled really good.

"A restaurant." Neji remarked, extremely _**detailed.**_

"What restaurant?"

"Do you care?"

"I CARE!" I shouted it firmly, my vision now clear.

Neji faced me, in a booth opposite from where I was laying down and currently rising into a sitting position.

"Akita." He informed me.

"Oh sushi!" I cried, happy.

Then I remembered what has just happened. The reviving ... my mother ... fucking crazy bastard, Max ...

A dark cloud loomed over my head and I matched my mood to that expression.

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"What's with you all of a sudden?" He questioned.

I crinkled my nose.

"What do you think, Neji?" I asked.

Neji's eyebrow stayed raised.

"I told you not to worry about it, Panda." Neji stated, blandly.

I grumbled something incoherent. How could I not worry about it? There were so many things to take in all at once that my overheated brain couldn't possibly handle all of it without combusting into flames.

"Well-" Before I could counter is reply, the waitress arrived.

"Can I take your order?" She offered. "I'm Rima, I'll be taking care of you this morning."

Her black hair was dyed red and she had a nose piercing and bright blue contacts. The look was cool but it kind of reminded me of a punk rock star on drugs. Her eyeliner was so thick, it made her eyes pop, along with her extremely long eyelashes ... her face resembled a doll, her lips covered in a bright crimson lipstick.

"Um ... " I glanced over at Neji.

"Get whatever the hell you want." He mumbled.

I thought I saw the waitress give me a sympathetic look.

Smirking at her, I remarked, "Yes. I would like the fifteen piece sushi plate."

Neji's eye twitched but he didn't protest.

"And some green tea please." I added.

She nodded, writing the few things down on her notepad and turning to Neji.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked him.

"A bowl of Udon." He remarked, not looking directly in her eyes.

Rima nodded and left, not bothering to ask Neji what he wanted in it or what he was going to drink. I assumed she had a feeling he wasn't in a talking mood. When was he ever in one?

Besides, Neji was already chewing another piece of gum

"It's difficult." I stated, after an awkward silence.

"What is?"

"I think you know what I'm referring to." I told him. "Everything in general."

Neji sighed, looking up at me.

"That was a goddamn understatement." He muttered. "Difficult?"

I frowned, rolling my eyes.

"Extremely complicated." I fixed.

He nodded in agreement.

"That's more like it."

The Hyuuga closed his eyes in deep thought. Something was obviously bothering him.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, leaning back uncomfortably in my seat.

Neji opened on of his eyes.

"Nothing." He replied.

"Lies." I answered, crossing my arms, my weight still against the back of the booth.

Neji furrowed his eyebrows.

"Don't know what you're talking about." He said, ignoring me.

I was annoyed by the fact that he was being so closed ... Now that I thought about it, I was probably one of the only people who understood him to some level.

"What's bothering you?" I repeated.

Neji looked at me, eyes open, that lavender boring into my face. I felt suffocated under his glare.

"Something you shouldn't worry about." He responded.

"Such as." I pried, leaning forward and placing my elbows on the table to rest.

Neji sighed again and looked towards the ceiling. It seemed that he only got into uncomfortable situations when he was around me ...

"How do you think the Devil will take this?" He finally asked me after a silence.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Pardon?"

Neji rolled his eyes before he dared to continue.

"You have the second most rare power known to man ..." he explained through gritted teeth.

"And what's the first?" I found myself asking.

"Mine." Neji muttered.

I felt something in my stomach churn. For some reason, it made me feel a little more uneasy. Neji was more deadly than I had probably anticipated. I'd never stopped and thought clearly about his power and his skill. He could see my Devil ... how many people could do that? Not even me ... yet?

"Okay ..." I got back on track. "So how would he react?"

Neji bit his lip, as if he was almost indecisive about what he was going to say.

"Would you like the worst case scenario?" Neji suggested.

I nodded sharply as the drinks were set down in front of Neji and I. He ended up getting a water because he hadn't ordered anything originally.

"I'll be back soon with the sushi." Rima informed us, walking away.

Neji waited until she was out of ear shot to respond to my question.

"He'll make you his slave."

I felt my eyes widen before I even processed his words.

"A-Are you serious?" I demanded, dropping my head so it rested on my elbows. "That's crazy! He would take me out of school?"

Neji laughed ... a cold, sarcastic ... and slightly annoyed laugh.

"Tenten ... he's the goddamn Devil. Like he **_cares_**." Neji's harsh words hit me like tiny needles, puncturing my skin with too many small holes to count.

"What am I gonna do?" I cried, grabbing my head, rolling it around. "I don't want to be a slave! I'll be overworked!"

I felt a slight prick on my forehead. Neji flicked me with his index finger.

"I said it was a worst case scenario." He explained. "It doesn't mean that's whats going to happen."

I sighed, pouting with my lips. Before I could reply though, my sushi arrived, a big plate of assorted raw fish on sticky rice.

"Enjoy the meal." Rima turned and walked away.

I glanced at Neji, but now he wasn't looking in my direction. So I just picked up my metal chopsticks and dabbed at the food while Neji slowly at his Udon.

"Oi, Panda." Neji spoke up after taking a drink of his water.

I looked over at him and set down my chopsticks.

"Hmm?"

"I wouldn't be worried about being a slave to the Devil." He said.

"Why?" I asked, my interest perked.

"Why should I fucking tell you?" Neji asked. "I told you not to worry so don't worry."

I grimaced, folding my arms.

"Geez." I mumbled. "You're so descriptive."

Neji shrugged.

"Just ... focus on not being stupid or whatever."

The boy was distracted as he talked to me because he kept looking out the window. Either that or Neji ... was nervous? To talk to me? Embarrassed? ...

I finished my food in silence. When I was finished I set the chopsticks down and then glared at the bill.

"KAMI!" I cried. "That's so expensive!"

Neji pried the paper out of my reluctant hands and looked at it.

"Hn." He grunted. "Not even bad."

"6,200 yen is a LOT for one meal!" I exclaimed. "And it's **_lunch_**!"

Neji shrugged.

"Depends on ones financial status." He remarked.

I crinkled my nose.

"Well ... you pay then, rich-ass Hyuuga." I hissed angrily.

Neji raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I was planning on buying the whole time." He informed me. "I brought you here in the first place ..."

He acted like I was a little girl. It pissed me off so I just pushed the thin paper in his face.

"Just pay the goddamn bill so we can get out of here." I muttered, walking towards the restroom to wash my hands.

oOoOo

"Did you want to check on your mother?" Neji asked me.

We were back in his comfortable Eclipse.

I shrugged, not smiling, feeling my shoulders slouch down.

"I don't think it'd be a good idea today." I explained. "I'd probably see her face then break down into a sob fit."

Neji drummed his fingers in annoyance.

"Woman." He mumbled.

My lip curled as I heard his comment. I hated any sexist things but technically his statement was true. Woman did tend to get overemotional. We can't help it though ... the reason men were created before woman was simply because every masterpiece needs a rough draft ... that was my philosophy

"Do want me to drop you off at the dorm?" Neji offered, growing impatient with my indecisiveness.

"Mmm ... no." I remarked. I didn't want to be alone.

Neji sighed.

"I don't know how to deal with you." He admitted, pissed off.

"Do you want to ..." I paused. "Do Chinese homework together?"

Neji watched me out of the corner of his eye.

"Together?" He repeated. "Why?"

I looked down, folding my arms.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Neji mumbled. "It's not like I'm hanging out with you because I want to."

I clicked my tongue. For some reason I really just wanted to hang out with him. I felt safer ... or more at ease ... if I wasn't alone.

"Please ..." I requested. "I really need some, er, help."

"Can't lie to me." Neji reminded me.

"I want some company." I admitted. "Please. I don't want to be all alone in my dorm."

Neji rolled his eyes and sighed, probably calculating a whole bunch of other countering things to say to my request.

"Are you scared?" He inquired.

"No."

"Liar."

I frowned. That fricken genius knew everything didn't he?

"So will you?" I asked.

Neji pulled into the school parking lot, highly annoyed by now.

"Fine." He agreed. "But I am not staying more than an hour."

I nodded, secretly happy on the inside that I was going to have his company.

oOoOo

"That word's _you _by the way." Neji informed me.

The pinyin _you _was pronounced like 'yo' and it meant have/has. I always got one of the strokes in the character messed up and kept getting it mixed with the character for _yue_, which meant moon so I was getting more confused in a sentence that went like, "Do you moon a watch?" and that was supposed to be, "Do you _have _a watch."

"Oh right." I said, staring at Neji, who was looking over my homework.

"You also need to change the stroke in _liu _to aim more to the left than to the right." Neji advised. "Otherwise it looks confusing."

I nodded, taking in his teachings. Before, I was good at Chinese and considered myself to be the best in class. Maybe now there was someone who was as good as me.

Putting my Totoro pencil down, I laid back onto my rug and stared at the ceiling and my walls that were decorated with many colors.

"Getting lazy, Panda?" Neji muttered. "Get the fuck up and work. You'd be a terrible slave."

I rolled my body upwards, twitching at the word slave.

"Don't make me freak out over that." I informed him.

Neji shrugged.

"I said it was a worse case scenario. That's it." He told me. "I don't predict the future."

"But you see people's Devil's," I countered. "What that's like?"

Neji sighed, laying down farther away from me, also staring at the ceiling.

"It's like being a slave to insanity."

* * *

**A/N: Ohhhhh! Haha. Cool ending =) Kay so perhaps that was a bit late but you knowww shiizz happens xD Like my sleepover with my peeps last night ... frosting on pretzels is pretty good especially when you're nearly high off of caffeine xD Anywayyy thanks for reading my story guys. I hope you realize how great you are and it's an author's dream to have inspiring reviewers like you guys so thaaaanks :) Review this chappie too **

**m u s t a c h e . m a n .**

**:{**

**Randomness =)  
**


	17. It's Not Okay

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 17: It's Not Okay

_"You were a problem child, been grounded your whole life, so now you runnin wild!"  
_

It was 5 PM when my phone rang and I was lying in bed. Yes, it was early, but I was exhausted for some reason. I wondered if it was because of my reviving that I had attempted that morning ...

Rolling over, I grabbed the phone.

_"Well you're a HOT MESS and I'm fallin for you ..."_

"Hello ... ?" I mumbled.

"Tenten!" Sakura chattered into the phone. "I heard about you're new power! That's ... cool!"

"Mm ..." I murmured. "Yep ..."

"Were you sleeping?" Sakura inquired.

" ... What if I was?" I grumbled, flipping my feet over the edge of the bed.

"Well I don't blame you." Sakura informed me. "After what happened to Ino ... but the reason I was calling was to ask you something."

"What?" I wondered, gliding on the floor to get to my refrigerator and peer in.

I closed the fridge, disappointed by the lack of food.

"Did you want Ino, Hinata and I to take your place and Neji's place for the assassination?" Sakura asked me.

"Yes please." I said, knowing that it was selfish. "Sorry ..."

"No, it's okay." Sakura insisted. "You need your rest."

I sighed.

"Alright. Thanks Sakura."

"No problem." She responded.

_Click._

I stared at my empty fridge, then at the clock on my phone.

Time to shop.

I put a pink sweat shirt over my orange cami and slipped into some flip flops, grabbing my book bag on the way out. I shoved my phone into my pocket.

As I left the dorm building I took my iPod out of my purse and put my ear phones in, putting my iPod on shuffle. _Life is Beautiful_ played.

_"You can't quit until you try _  
_You can't live until you die _  
_You can't learn to tell the truth _  
_Until you learn to lie" _

I walked to the bus stop, feeling the May breeze blow my loose hair that feel out of my buns. They whizzed around in the wind.

_"You can't breathe until you choke _  
_You gotta laugh when you're the joke _  
_There's nothing like a funeral to make you feel alive"_

I was lucky because it waited for me to get there. Climbing the steps I handed the driver 500 yen. Then I made my way to find a seat. I sat down and closed my eyes, feeling the bus jerk into motion. I was gonna go to the market to get food ... I was hungry.

_"Just open your eyes _  
_Just open your eyes _  
_And see that life is beautiful. _  
_Will you swear on your life, _  
_That no one will cry at my funeral?"_

I was thankful that my friends would take my assassination place. It was so tiring all the time and I needed a break. I hadn't decided if I was going to eat out or just buy food to make for dinner.

_"I know some things that you don't _  
_I've done things that you won't _  
_There's nothing like a trail of blood _  
_to find your way back home"_

There was something about this song that sent chills through my spine and left me in deep thought. I would have those moments ... you know when you reminisce?

_"I was waiting for my hearse _  
_What came next was so much worse _  
_It took a funeral to make me feel alive"_

I watched the outside blur as the bus bumped along the road noisily.

_"Just open your eyes _  
_Just open your eyes _  
_And see that life is beautiful. _  
_Will you swear on your life, _  
_That no one will cry at my funeral?"_

The guitar solo after the second chorus was just about finished when the bus stopped at the market._  
_

I slung my book bag over my shoulders and exited the bus.

The market was buzzing ... it was a Saturday evening though.

So I walked around and ended up buying some fresh strawberries, ramen, almonds, mozzarella, and then some packets used for making lemonade.

"Arigato," I thanked the clerk as I put the lemonade packets in my book bag, along with the other food.

I shuffled to an outdoor, metal table and sat on a chair by it. Then I pulled out my pre-washed strawberries and began to chew on them slowly, savoring the sweet juice and feeling my body get more energy absorbed through the fruit.

It was when I reached in for a bottled water that I heard a familiar voice. One thick with a Hispanic accent and it sent shivers down my spine.

"Tenten, you've been a bad girl." The Devil whispered.

His fist connected with the small of my back.

I cried out in pain, glancing around me to see if anyone saw what he just did to me but I noticed that my surroundings were darker. The sky was red and the buildings turned into different shades of black.

Quickly, I sent my foot backwards, twisting around at the same time. The Devil caught my ankle and shoved it back towards me.

I panted, trying to reach around to where he had punched me.

"Neji's training wasn't that bad." The Devil admitted. "But you'll have to do better than that, Tenten."

I wiped away the beads of sweat that were forming on my brow. He was tricky ...

"What did I do?" I grumbled.

"One, you didn't come and tell me about this new power of yours." The Devil informed me.

I grimaced.

"I figured you'd know."

His frown turned into a sadistic and twisted smirk.

"I knew all along." He told me. "But you should've told me and shouldn't have ignored your mission."

I raised an eyebrow, confused at first, but then it slightly dawned on me.

"Sending Ino, Sakura and Hinata." The Devil reminded me. "That was a mistake."

I placed my hands on my hips, trying to shake the uneasy feeling that I was getting.

"I didn't **_send _**them." I protested. "**_They _**volunteered."

The Devil rolled his eyes.

"Either way, it doesn't matter who did the sending." He stated. "It still would turn out the same way."

That hit me.

"What way?" I asked.

Now it was getting scary. He was leading to something that I didn't like ... what was he implying?

His smirked grew wider.

"What?" I demanded.

"They're in the hospital." The Devil said, amused by my expression.

I gasped.

"What's with the long face?" He wondered.

I curled my fingers into a fist.

"I think you know." I hissed under my breath.

"Come at me." His eyes lowered, his smirked growing, showing his pearly white teeth.

I situated my feet and brought my fist back. I knew it was insane to fight an unbeatable opponent but I was so angry. The hospital? How did they end up in the goddamn hospital?

"What did you do to them?" I cried.

"I don't think I'll tell you."

I bit my lip and charged. This was going to hurt like shit.

Before I could even land a hit on him, I felt a tug on my shoulder.

"What in fucking hell are you doing?"

I snapped my head around and to my surprise, saw Ino. It was weird. I saw her, yet didn't see her. Her body was translucent and it was really only her face that I could make out. I stared at my shoulder and saw a faint image of a slender hand.

"Ino!" I exclaimed.

"Don't attack him!" She ordered. "You'll only get hurt!"

My eyes widened.

How did she get here?

"Are you okay?" I immediately asked.

"Don't worry about me." Ino argued. "Just don't attack him or you'll get hurt."

I shakily nodded my head, feeling the Devil's stare on me.

"I know you're there, Yamanaka." He announced.

And it was that instant Ino disappeared. I wondered how she was able to get into the Devil's world ...

The Devil sighed.

"Oh well ..." He trailed off, looking at me with his intense glare.

I stared back with hatred.

"So why are you mad at me?" I questioned. "Why'd you attack them?"

The Devil raised his eyebrows.

"Because, it's not okay to abandon a mission." He informed me. "I was planning on you using your reviving skills again."

The thought scared me. How the hell would I be able to do them twice a day? It seemed ridiculous with my low strength ...

I snarled.

"_Wo bu xi huan ni._" I muttered.

The Devil rolled his eyes.

"I don't care." He answered.

So he knew what I said.

"It's true." I growled.

The Devil dismissed the idea.

"I'm letting you live." He told me. "Be careful with what you say."

I narrowed my eyes. He was so unfair and ridiculous, I didn't know why such a creature even existed on the earth.

"I'll let you off with a warning." The Devil added. "Next time you won't be so lucky."

He snapped his fingers and the sky turned blue again and the buildings were back to their normal color.

I looked to where he was standing but he wasn't there anymore.

"What a creep." I muttered.

oOoOo

"Let's see ..." I mumbled. "Which door was it?"

I was in Konoha hospital and it was more confusing than ever. The kind lady at the front desk had given me the room number but had failed to actually give me directions to get to the room. This was one of the reason why I hated hospitals. It was just a giant maze. And it was super depressing. I couldn't believe that nearly everyone here was hurt or sick. Then the people visiting would either be sad or trying to cheer the patients up and then the workers have to deal with death ... often.

"Room 254 D ..."

I was in the D hallway on the third floor. At room 246 ... so I was close.

Bound and determined, I kept walking down the hallway and finally found my destination. At the door, I felt nervous though. A sudden guilt had pierced my heart and I didn't know if I could deal with looking at them, knowing that the reason they were here was my fault.

My fingers wrapped around the door handle and finally found the courage to push it down and open the door.

"Hey guys." I greeted, putting on a smile.

Sakura, Hinata, and Ino were lined up in pearly beds. The actually smiled at me but when I saw them my eyes watered and I had to put my hands over my mouth. The poor girls were covered in bandages, cuts littered their body and though they wore smiles on their faces I could see the forced nature of them.

"I-It's good you came." Hinata stuttered, giving a shaky wave.

"Guys ..." I mumbled, wiping my eyes, trying not to cry.

I bit my lip and clutched by book bag, taking a seat by Hinata who was in the middle of the three. I set my book bag on my lap and took out the strawberries and other snacks.

"Here." I gave them each a strawberry.

"These are pre-washed right?" Ino asked me.

I nodded, afraid to look at her, and wondering if her image I saw back in Hell really happened.

Sakura gnawed on the strawberry laying back into her pillow.

Watching them feebly eat the food made my insides churn. It was almost unbearable and I was drowning in my own guilt.

"One second." I declared, setting my book bag down on Hinata's bed. "You guys can eat the other food too. I'll be right back."

I skipped out of the room just as my tears started to fall. It was just too much ... I turned the corner and slid down on my knees, then putting my back against the wall, bringing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

Sniffling, I took out my cellphone from my pocket and scrolled through my contacts. I stopped at Neji and pressed the _send _button to call him. I wondered if he knew about our friends ...

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ri- _

"Hello?"

"Neji." I sobbed.

" ... "

"Neji?" I asked again, feeling my tears stream down my face and almost stain the phone.

"Are you fucking crying? Again?" Neji grumbled.

I sniffled again in response.

He sighed on the other end, highly annoyed.

"And **_why _**the hell is that?" He demanded.

I bit my lip.

"Sakura, Ino and Hinata." I murmured.

"What about them?" Neji asked me.

"They're hurt."

"I know." He remarked.

"You do?" I cried. "Why didn't **_you _**tell me?"

Another sigh.

"Because of this." He said. "I was the first person they called after it happened so I called the paramedics."

"What **_did_** happen?" I inquired. "It was supposed to be our assassination right?"

"Hn." Neji responded. "It was. The Devil found out and beat the shit out of them."

I felt another sob escape my lips.

"It's terrible ..." I mumbled. "What are we gonna do?"

"Nothing." Neji replied. "That's all we can do."

I didn't answer, only my cries.

"Is that all you wanted to say, Panda?" Neji wondered, still annoyed with me.

I close my fingers into a fist.

"He knows, Neji." I told him.

"Know what?" Neji asked.

I unfolded my legs and stretched them out.

"He knows about my reviving."

* * *

**A/N: OMGGG late chapter -_- Sorry about that ... You knoooow bussssy bussssy! I totally killed my ass dancing the other day. I was doing pirouette turns in my kitchen and on the fourth turn I fell and my butt hit the edge of the table. It hurt so baaad! I know have a huge bruise on my ass o_O Oh yeah ... interesting right? So yeahhh. Review and stuff ... the story is getting to the climax and shiizz. So thanks for reading =) I LUVZ YOU GUYS!**

**Review =)**

**;{ **

**Winking mustache man!  
**


	18. Water

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 18: Water

"I'm screwed." I mumbled to Neji in Chinese. "He **_knows._**"

"It doesn't mean you're screwed." Neji argued. "He might not even care."

"Funny joke." I grumbled.

Neji ignored me and just chewed his gum annoyingly.

I tapped my Totoro pencil, irritated. Neji didn't understand how I felt about this ... I was scared.

Besides, Ino, Sakura and Hinata were in the hospital and Neji and I had to cover for them. I didn't have anyone to really talk to... Neji did **_not _**realize how insane he made me feel all the time.

Then from behind me, I heard a small buzz. So I turned around and saw Neji discreetly reach in his pocket and check his phone. Anko didn't seem to notice so I kept watching and was surprised by his facial expression. His eyes widened.

He kicked my chair, looking at me.

"What?" I hissed under my breath.

"Our target ..." Neji murmured. "Is in the school."

"What do we do?" I wondered, trying to think. How the heck could our target be in the school?

Neji raised his hand.

"Excuse me, Anko-sensei." He said. "Tenten and I have an appointment with Tsunade."

Freaking good liar. He thinks that he's as good as me ...

"It's true, sensei." I added. "We just forgot to tell you at the beginning of class, sorry."

Anko sighed, annoyed.

"Fine, whatever." She mumbled. "Go ahead ... leave."

As we scrambled out the door I heard her call after us, "Won't miss ya!"

Neji and I rolled our eyes in unison.

"Where are we going?" I asked, hoping that we wouldn't be seen killing anyone. I wondered who in the school we would actually need to kill.

"It looks like ... the pool." Neji remarked, staring at the map on his phone.

My heart nearly stopped. A pool ... deep water ... I couldn't ...

"Neji ..." I felt my pace slow down and I leaned against a locker.

"What?" He grumbled. "What's your problem?"

"Can I skip out on this?" I pleaded.

"No, unless you want something to happen like **_before_**." Neji remarked, implying Sakura, Hinata, and Ino.

My stomach did flip-flops. There was no way ...

"Hurry up!" Neji called.

Reluctantly, I followed him, urging my insides to remain ... inside.

I kept my notebook and pencil clutched to my side tightly, proving my nervousness.

Neji watched me out of the corner of his eye suspiciously but he didn't say anything. He probably didn't care and it's not like he would understand either ... he didn't know what happened that day ...

We tiptoed to the pool door and saw our target holding a girl in a bikini hostage. She squealed under his grip.

Nervously, I straightened out my uniform.

"Ready?" Neji asked me, clenching his fist.

I gulped.

"Yeah." I lied.

He looked at me, knowing I wasn't truthful but decided not to say anything.

Then Neji kicked open the door and walked in with a stride.

The girl who was taken hostage looked up, hopefully and I realized that the target was a kid no older than me. He wore a tattered school uniform that was similar to Neji's ... he went here.

I stepped into the moist room. It was surrounded by huge windows so the sunlight came in, contributing to the warmth. Before I assessed the hostage situation, I glanced over at the pools depth. The lowest point was eight feet ... highest was twelve.

Neji charged at the boy, who let go of the girl in the swimsuit. I immediately ran up to her and ushered her out the door. She wrapped her arms around me and I guided her out of the pool room. Once I dropped her off I came back to check on Neji, who was having hand to hand combat with the target. I knew this was Neji's specialty but the other guy wasn't bad...

On the slippery pool floor, I gulped and ran to the action. I brought my foot up and kicked the target in the side of his face, sending him backing away from Neji.

The guy looked at me, it wasn't much of an angered look, more of a: "Stay out or you'll get hurt" look.

"Neji..." I glared at him.

He seemed to notice it too.

We both didn't want to actually kill a kid our own age ...

But he went back for Neji and they were both at it again.

I punched him in the shoulder from behind, and blocked one of his kicks, while Neji went in for a blow, but before Neji hit, the target grabbed my wrist firmly and flung me to the side of him.

My feet slipped across the tile and I felt the panic rise.

I was thrown several feet away from the edge and into the pool.

The fear inside of my grew and I felt the sudden feeling of Deja Vu.

I found myself shrieking at the top of my lungs and flailing around in water, nine feet deep. There's one other thing one should know about me.

I can't swim.

"NEJI!" I screamed so loud, not able to see anything from all of the water splashing around me.

There was a reason that I couldn't swim ...

"NEJI! HELP! PLEASE!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I made out Neji glancing over at me while he fought with the other boy.

"I CAN'T ... SWIM!"

I couldn't locate the edge ... I couldn't stay upright. Water kept coming into my mouth so it was hard to scream and cry for help.

Suddenly there was a huge thump in the water and I saw from my peripheral vision, more splashing. My skirt and shirt kept flapping up and down annoyingly, soaked in the water.

A pair of arms wrapped around my waist and thighs. One hand disappeared and began to propel both of our bodies towards the edge. I noticed the person had long hair so it must've been Neji.

My vision kept going in and out so it was hard to stay focused.

I wrapped my arms around Neji's neck as he heaved me out of the water.

"God you're heavy Tenten," He mumbled, dropping on the tile panting heavily, me right next to him.

I sputtered out water, feeling my breath come back into my body. I glanced over at him, his wet hair framing his face, mine had been in a ponytail, it clung to my neck.

Neji scrambled upward to look at the boy who was staring at us.

I was shivering so badly ... goosebumps covered my skin.

It was that I realized that the kid we were supposed to kill had red eyes.

Strange ...

Then suddenly, he started to clutch his head in pain.

Neji and I glanced at each other then back at him.

He screamed and screamed in agony and after about a minute he looked back at us and his eyes returned to normal ... they weren't red anymore.

Neji narrowed his eyes.

"Just as I thought." He confirmed.

"What?" I asked in a raspy voice, hardly able to speak.

"He was possessed." Neji informed me. "By the Devil."

"Wh-what happened?" The victim asked.

I was about to explain about the Devil but felt my vision get spotty and my stomach churned a little more.

Then I blacked out.

oOoOo

I woke up to a familiar smell but it wasn't my room, even though it looked exactly like a dorm room. What was the familiar scent?

"So you're awake?"

Neji hovered over me and then sat down in a chair beside the bed I was lying in.

That's what it was. I was in his dorm room.

"N-Neji ..." My voice still hurt. "Why your room?"

He sighed.

"I looked for your fucking key but it wasn't anywhere." He explained. "I considered breaking in but you'd be pissed."

"Damn straight." I agreed, rubbing my tired eyes and looking down.

I was in a big, baggy t-shirt.

"Neji ..." I growled. "You better have not-"

"Satsuki." Neji replied. "She changed you."

"Okay." I didn't know who the fuck that was but ... as long as it wasn't Neji.

There was an awkward silence.

"So are you going to tell me **_why _**in fucking hell you can't swim?" Neji demanded.

I felt my knees curl up to my sore chest.

"Well," I started.

Neji waited, I wasn't sure if it was patient or not though.

I wanted to tell him but this was something that I never told anyone. He would be the first person for me to actually open up to ...

"My dad ..." I answered.

Neji's eyes widened just the slightest bit. Ha. I got a reaction.

"He died ... drowning ... I was uh ... four." I admitted, but telling it to Neji kind of lifted a weight off of my chest. "I've been terrified of water since ..."

I bet Neji thought it was weird too whenever my mom popped up randomly that my dad was never there.

Neji chuckled. I was a bit confused at that.

"My dad died when I was four too." He told me and for some reason I felt that I was the first person he told too.

I sighed, resting my head back on his headboard.

"Yeah it sucks." I said.

Neji nodded in silent agreement.

"So are you gonna get out of my bed?" he asked me, an eyebrow raised.

"But it's warm," I complained. "Don't wanna."

He rolled his eyes annoyed.

"Well it's not like we have school to go back to." I told him, glancing at the clock that read 4:24 PM.

"So what are you gonna do then?" Neji grumbled. "Just **_stay _**in **_my _**bed?" He suggested.

"You can sleep in my dorm." I offered, clutching the warm covers, that I did not wanna leave. "Or the bathroom over there." I offered.

Neji folded his arms, annoyed.

"It's only four thirty." He said.

"Good point." I admitted. "Go get me some food."

Neji's eyebrow twitched.

He grabbed my elbow and dragged me out of his room.

"Out." He ordered.

Then he slammed the door behind him.

"Tch. Bitch please." I mumbled.

"I heard that, Panda."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry ... short chapter ^ o ^ I have the stomach flu :( I got it Thurs. and lolz after I puked that morning I GOT MY BRACES OFF! I was happy. Even though I felt sick, I came back for the last two hours of the day, actually to take the science test. It's our hardest unit and everyone in our grade had to average out at a 93% so we could watch a movie all of next week. So I came in and at first everyone was mean because I have inside jokes with my science class. But then they noticed I was acting weird and how I finished my test like last so they're like "ARE YOU OKAY?" so I told them and they're like 'that sucks' but then our class averaged at a 95% everyone was hugging and then the sweetest thing ever happened! So I told people not to give me hugs and stuff. Then my friend Jason comes up and I'm like "I have stomach flu, don't hug me." and he was just like "I don't care!" and he hugged me *hearts* then he was just like "You tied me this time but next time I'll beat you." Then he winked and lied to everyone saying that I got the same score as him when he really didn't =) Made my day. We always go head on for grades. Anyway ... I'm really sick :( Oh well. I updaaaaated.**

**8{**

**Mustache man with glasses!  
**


	19. Secret Intentions

**READ**:

**A/N: Was just on spring break *wink* I'll explain after the chapter but sorry about the late update. I wrote this chapter last week but Fanfiction was giving me a million errors and wouldn't let me on my properties page but I got a way around it.  
**

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 19: Secret Intentions

So I sat in my room and it was about five now. My stomach growled in protest to me trying to sleep. I let my legs slip out in front of me and laid my back down on the wood floor. The rug was actually pretty close to my head but I didn't feel like moving over to use it as a pillow. I felt depressed but was trying to deny it. Depressed. Bored. And emotional. Great.

I crawled along the ground, over to my book bag, where my iPod lay motionless. Too lazy to put on big headphones, I used the earphones, positioning them carefully in my ears then blasting music away as I laid down in the mass of all my swarming, emotional thoughts.

To be honest, I was moody, a little messy and it seemed like I was losing all my sense.

_"On a Monday, I am waiting, Tuesday, I am fading, and by Wednesday...I can't sleep.''_

I hated Monday's.

Really I wasn't exactly sure of what I was going to do ... The possessed boy ... What did it all mean? My thoughts were restless and enjoyed giving me a painful headache that I knew wouldn't go away with the average painkiller.

I slipped out my phone and thought about dialing Sakura's number but she was in the hospital and wasn't the one who saw the possessed boy ... besides. I knew an expert that I could always call.

_Bip. Bip.  
_

I was ashamed to say that Neji's number was in fact on my speed dial. It was number five so I was a bit relieved to know that he wasn't close to one.

_Click._

"Tenten, when the fuck will you leave me alone? Goddamn Panda." Neji sounded angry enough on the other line.

I felt the nervousness flood my veins. How was I supposed to explain this to him?

"Could I talk to you?" I wondered.

"You _**are **_talking to me, dumbass." He responded.

Yeah he was more pissed than normal ... just mad that I left probably.

"Over dinner or something." I mumbled.

Neji sighed, a reluctant noise as if the idea of having a meal with me was appalling and utterly disgusting.

"Neither of us have much money." He informed me.

"The school cafeteria **_is _**open until eight." I reminded him.

What was I doing? There was no way he would ever want dinner with me? It sounded to date-like and would be incredibly awkward ... but I still needed to clarify some things so ... it had to be done.

"Ugh. Fine. You're fucking lucky I'm doing this, Panda." He just never liked calling me Tenten did he?

"Fifteen minutes?" I suggested.

"Whatever." Neji agreed. "But this better be Goddamn important."

Geez. Neji was so worked up. Could something else extremely tragic happen in the last half hour?

_Click._

"Goodbye." I mumbled to no one as I hung up the phone.

I set my iPod on my nightstand as I slowly stood up in the process of the action. Then I stretched out a little. I'd been sitting/lying down for about 30 minutes ...

What was I supposed to wear to a not-date-dinner appointment? I wasn't sure but sweats and a t-shirt didn't probably exactly qualify as proper attire but they were so comfortable and good smelling at that ... I ached to wear them but Neji would probably walk away at the scene.

So I clambered over to my closet and glared at it. What to wear? We weren't even leaving the school campus. So I thought about wearing my school uniform but I only had one uniform left. I didn't know what Neji did with the wet one. Thank God **_he _**didn't change me. But I didn't want to spill anything on my clean and not-wet uniform.

"Decisions ... decisions." I pondered, scoping out my closet.

I settled with a pair of sky blue skinny jeans, orange high tops, and my favorite, killer, pink sweatshirt. I didn't know why I was getting worked up over dinner at our own school cafeteria but Neji made me so nervous sometimes, I didn't want him to be all pissed just because of what I was wearing that he couldn't focus on what I was trying to say.

Suddenly my phone rang ...

_"You're a HOT MESS and I'm fallin' for you!"_

I gulped, noticing it was Neji and hesitated before answering. Finally I gathered the courage by the second chorus of _Hot Mess _and picked up the phone.

"You've got some guts Tenten if you're trying to stand me up."

Neji's voice was dripping with venom and that's when I checked the time. It was already five thirty ... I'd spent to long contemplating on my outfit.

"Sorry Neji!" I sputtered. "I'll be there in a sec!"

I quickly redid my hair as fast as I could, which was hard since it was soaked in chlorine and I hadn't taken a shower yet. So I ended up putting it in a messy bun. Neji wouldn't care since it was one of my common hairstyles. I'd also bitch him out later for being so mean to me. But just looking at his stern face made my knees go weak.

With haste, I snatched up my book bag and stuffed my iPod in it. Then I picked up my room key as I ran out the door. It slammed behind me.

I jogged as fast as I could out the dorm building, hit by the cool, May, night air, Neji's harsh training proved it's worth with my increased speed. Outside in the sky, I made out a few thick, looming clouds that were bound to turn into a storm but they weren't really on my mind much.

As I was running, I ran into something big, that I made out in the dark to be a person.

"Gomen..." I mumbled, regaining my balance and as I looked into the eyes of who it was, I was met with a deep brown and finally, I realized who the person was.

It was the great Tsunade. She may have been the principle of this school but I'd never met her in person. I only met Shizune ... not Tsunade, who by the way was highly intimidating with her fierce stare and large chest. Her hands were placed on her hips and her eyebrows were knit together in deep thought and slight confusion. I was mesmerized by her blonde hair that was stuffed into thin ponytails, which flowed in the slight breeze of the night sky.

"Ma'am." I said with a bow.

"Are you Tenten?" She questioned.

It was more of a bellowing tone than an inside voice.

I gulped and my answer came out in a squeak.

"Yes." I managed.

She narrowed her eyes and lowered her gaze to meet my eyes, her head moving down.

Then all of a sudden her pink lips quirked into a smirk.

"Good job." She informed me.

I blinked a million times and was about to respond but when my eyes focused on her again ... she wasn't there. I didn't remember her disappearing so where did she go? But I was too busy worried about meeting Neji that I had to bolt without also worrying about Tsunade who had actually said "Good job" so why worry?

_Because I don't know what she's talking about._ I thought.

Adjusting my book bag once more, I darted through the school double doors and bolted down the hallway like no ones business. Coming to the entrance of the cafeteria, I skidded to a stop and turned quickly ... too quick. I ended up tripping over invisible air and felt a rough grip on my upper arm.

"God Tenten, you're a mess." Neji told me. "What took so long?"

I panted.

"I was ... listening to music." Sell the lie, believe the lie, then the lie will-

"Liar." Neji interrupted my thoughts. "You know you can't lie to me, no matter how good you are, don't forget it."

I curled my lip, slapping him in the arm, not very hard and that was when I realized that he was still gripping my arm, keeping me from falling ... shit.

Neji dropped me, annoyed.

"Hurry up." He called over his shoulder.

"I should've gotten up quicker." I mumbled to myself, feeling my pride dented.

I straightened and shuffled after him, dusting off my favorite sweatshirt and jeans.

Neji was in the cafeteria line for food. There wasn't a _**ton **_of kids there but there were about thirty in the room. Most students probably didn't have many provisions in their dorms and I doubted they ate out at restaurants every night.

After Neji finished buying an apple and soup, I purchased my lunch which consisted of a Blue Cheese salad, a blueberry muffin, and a chocolate milk bottle.

I followed Neji, who picked out a table in the corner of the lunchroom, as if he was afraid to be seen by his friends. But that couldn't be right; Neji couldn't be _**afraid **_of anything *sarcasm*

We set our trays down and I took the seat across from him, positioning myself for a debate.

"So what did you want to 'talk' about, Panda?" Neji was obviously mocking me and I refrained from hitting him a second time, not that it would have much affect on him anyway.

"You need to clue me in here." I grumbled.

Neji raised his eyebrow, picking up his apple, he leaned back, pushing his feet forward brushing mine. I had to fight down a blush to keep the conversation serious. He then took a bit out of his apple, chewing as he stared me down.

"Elaborate."

Something about the way he looked at me made my stomach flutter. I didn't know why I felt this way but I urged the feeling to leave and cleared my throat.

I bit my lip, chewing it slowly. Normally in these situations to ease tension, I would think of acting hyper and spouting out gibberish ... but now that I was actually in it, with Neji at that, it was hard to speak because I felt that all his attention was finally on me.

So I cleared my throat once more with a weak cough that Neji must've known was fake because his other eyebrow was now up.

"I don't understand it ..." I spoke up. "Any of it."

This seemed to pick at Neji's attention span.

"Any of **_what_**?" He wondered.

My clammy hands fiddled around with my muffin wrapper that I was trying to peel off of the muffin.

"The ... you know ... 'stuff'."

Neji knew what I meant and his eyebrows moved down and furrowed together. He was trying to analyze me and I could tell.

"What don't you understand?" He wondered.

I snapped.

Standing up, I cried loudly, "Why do they all have to die?" The moment I started to scream, Neji bolted upward, covering my mouth, but all the words already came out.

He narrowed his eyes, glancing around at some of the people who were staring.

"Play practice." He quickly explained.

I hoped that they didn't know I really wasn't in the play, but I nodded and we were good liars so one look from us and the students believed our words and shrugged, looking back.

"Idiot." Neji muttered under his breath. "You have to be quiet."

As I sat though my fists were shaking.

"I don't get it still." My seething anger remained. "I realized that after the boy from before was possessed that I am _**really **_against doing this." My voice was a low hiss that no one else could hear but Neji. We were both leaning in, intently, about a foot away from each others faces, yet the gap felt like it was only inches.

"It's not about getting it." Neji whispered hoarsely. "You'll die if you retalia-"

"He can't possibly take all of us on, can he?" I wondered. "What if-"

It was Neji's turn to cut me off and I found that I had crushed the wrapped of my muffin.

"Tenten, you don't **_know _**anything." I knew he was serious about this because he used my real name, a rare occasion.

"I know that this is wrong." I argued.

"And you don't think that's how I feel?" Neji retorted. "Tenten, I am a **_murderer _**... don't you think I hate it?"

My lip became my chew toy again so I began to pick a piece of muffin. It was tiny and I placed it in my mouth, chewing it slow.

"I am too." I told Neji. "And **_I _**hate it, Neji."

The muffin's flavor turned bitter and I made sure my next piece had a blueberry in it.

"You're not alone." Neji informed me. "Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Kiba ... everyone else. They hate it too." He added.

I looked at the Blue Cheese salad and swallowed my emotions. To escape the situation, I stood up.

"Need a fork." I said, about to walk over to the utensils but Neji caught my wrist and forced me to sit back down,

"We're not done." He stated.

I gulped.

"So why ... why do we have to endure it? Why aren't we doing anything?" I asked, feeling helpless.

"Tenten you're **_such _**an idiot." Neji remarked.

I was annoyed by his name-calling, so to brush it off I started to pick away at my muffin again. I waited for him to elaborate.

"We've **_been _**plotting against him." Neji stated.

I dropped the bits of muffin I had in my hands.

Neji elaborated. "Half the people that we've all killed have been allies of the Devil and he doesn't know who's killing them off. Because, the way he looks at things are similar killings and **_none _**of us kill the same way so he can't figure out who's doing it unless he put a tracker on each of us." Neji cleared his throat. "Except that's the thing, he doesn't know he's being betrayed because we still kill the people he wants us to kill, like the Russian army vet."

My eyes widened.

"So because we're still doing his dirty work, we're less suspicious." I worked out.

Neji clicked his tongue.

"Exactly." He agreed. "And by the time that most of his allies are gone," he whispered.

"It'll be easier to overtake them." I concluded.

Neji nodded sharply.

I felt a little relief spread through my body. So I might not be tied to this destiny forever. That was one of my main worries, that I would have to deal with this awful Devil work for the rest of my life.

"So why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, stuffing a chunk of muffin in my mouth, obviously feeling better.

Neji hesitated before answering.

"Plausible deniablity." He replied.

"How?" I wondered.

"Well do you even **_know _**what it is, dumbass?"

And then it clicked. My grimace at his remark, turned into a smirk, which was quivering into a smile, but I needed to keep cocky.

"Hyuuga Neji," I said grinning. "Were you trying to protect me?"

"That's," Neji paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "Not the case."

But I could feel that it was a lie. A warm, fuzzy feeling enveloped my stomach and I was smiling.

"I'm gonna get a fork, you still have to eat dinner with me." I informed him, flashing the Hyuuga a smile. I swear I saw him nearly flinch.

I came back with my plastic fork and began to eat my Blue Cheese salad.

Neji sighed, rolling his eyes, and took a second bite of his apple.

For about a minute we stared at each other in silence. So after a bit I broke it.

"I met Tsunade ten minutes ago." I told him.

His eyebrow raised.

"Really?" was his response. "Did she beat the living shit out of you?"

I chewed the leafy greens.

"No, surprisingly." I admitted. "She told me 'good job' ... odd huh?"

Neji nodded in agreement. I could see he was trying hard to have a civilized conversation with me, without throwing out a harsh insult.

I smiled at his effort.

"What are you fucking smiling about?" He wondered.

I shook my head, also shaking off the feeling. You know, for a murderer he wasn't that bad.

"So," I uncapped my milk bottle, popping the cap into the recycling next to me. "What'd you do with my uniform?"

"Satsuki." Neji told me. "The girl who changed you."

I raised my eyebrows.

"She washed it." Neji added detail.

"Oh that was nice ..." I said. "So will I, uh, get it back 'cuz I kinda need it?"

"Oh yeah?" Neji challenged. "Well what about **_my _**clothes."

"Those were yours!" I cried standing up.

The corners of Neji's mouth twitched, itching to smirk.

"Whose did you think they were?" He questioned, suddenly amused.

"I don't know..." I mumbled sitting back down.

That made me a little nervous. I had loved the way the smelled ... and watching his twitching lips go into a full fledged smirk I felt my stomach flutter again. I hit in on purpose in front of him. knowing he wouldn't understand the gesture.

"Shut up, stomach." I growled at it and he rolled his eyes at my common unusual-ness.

To change the subject, I started small talk about killing techniques that lasted us the entire meal.

Sighing I got up and walked to the garbage can, dumping my tray, Neji following. We set the trays by the cleaning lunch ladies and walked away.

I followed Neji to the sinks and we both washed our hands silently.

Finally, "Thanks for hearing me out." I told him. "I'm glad you told me what you guys were doing." I resisted the urge to smile. "But plausible deniability would be nice."

He knew I was teasing him and began to glare at me.

I kinda wanted to hug him but was afraid to. So instead, I patted the guys shoulder.

"You're not that bad." I informed him. "Under the cool facade."

Neji nearly twitched at the thought of being 'not badass'.

I flashed another smile.

"Catch you later!"

Then clutching my book bag, I disappeared around the corner, pleased by his secret intentions.

* * *

**A/N: Eeek! Sorry! I had Spring break XD I went to Arubaaa... a tropical island of the coast of Venezuela. It was awesome there, snorkling, jeep riding off-road ... etc. But yeaah ... I'm getting to the plot finally =) ! You guys like? I liked writing this chapter ohhh and I read the book Perfect Chemistry in one day and I LOVE it! You romance addicts would love it and I found it hilarious that the dude in it was hispanic I'm just like "THE DEVIL!" But yeah... review my loves cuz you know how we roll...=)**

**:{x duct taped and kidnapped mustache man XD  
**


	20. The Deadly Song

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 20: The Deadly Song

I sighed.

"So is this a **_real _**mission?" I asked. "Or a 'wink' missioooon?"

Neji hit me on the shoulder and it was not as gentle as I thought it would be.

"Ow." I moaned, rubbing the spot he smacked. "What gives?"

"God, he's going to **_find _**out if you shout it to the world so obviously." Neji informed me, grabbing my arm to remind me that we were getting off the bus.

"Tch." I mumbled. "Chill. So **_is _**it real?"

"Yeah." Neji replied.

He didn't really elaborate so I just followed him through the crowd of people in the market.

"We're not gonna like ... kill anyone in public, are we?" I wondered.

Neji gave me an annoyed 'Shut up' look but I couldn't help it. Pissing him off just seemed like such a good idea. And I was in high spirits. Sakura, Hinata, and Ino were released from the hospital so I was in such a good mood that Neji's permanent scowl couldn't bring me down and for some reason it _**seemed**_ to improve my mood.

He led me to a mysterious alley where we headed to an abandoned shop. It looked like it was a barber shop but I couldn't quite be sure because the sign was faded and certain letters were permanently taken off of the window.

"Creepy." I comment. "Health inspector needs to give this guy an F+ ..."

Neji wasn't listening to my dry humor. He was more focused on strange patterns on the wall. I didn't really take notice to them ... more preoccupied with the impressive piles of dust that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Tenten, focus, I don't know what's wrong with you today?"

I frowned. Like he actually cared.

"Let's just go." I mutter, figuring it'll come to him sooner or later.

Neji grimaces back and leads me around the shop as if he actually knows where he's going ... which I wouldn't doubt considering he's a genius. Except his genius brain clouds his feelings and his human sensitivity so he acts more like an angry robot than a homosapien.

"Good to see you stopped by, Neji." The voice is mad. And it's coming from the closet.

I subconsciously notice that I'm gripping Neji's arm so tight it's turning an awkward shade of white. He doesn't seem to care. He's more preoccupied by the voice. I'm scare that it knows who Neji is ... I'm scared to know it...

Then the closet bursts open and I let out a screech that echoes throughout the abandoned shop.

Neji gives me an annoyed look but doesn't shake me off. Instead he asks me a question.

"What kind of assassin is afraid of their target?" He whispers, glancing towards my tight grip that I have on him.

Embarrassed, I let go and take a look at our "target". He has long and shaggy, brownish hair. His eyes are a bright green that seem to bore into me.

I make my move. Taking Neji's advice, I don't go directly towards the person that I'm trying to kill. I aimed for the light above him and smashed it, causing a distraction, but he hardly took the bait. Once glimpse upward and he realize quickly that it wasn't my true attack.

So then I decided to take a different approach. I slid under a desk (thank god I fit under it) and flipped it over toward him. To my expectations, he dodged the desk with collided with a large shelf. The shelf rocked back and forth until finally crashing. It didn't fall on top of the target but it created such a mess of dust, I knew that I had cover, and an advantage.

"Neji!" I cried.

Neji tossed me a knife and I knew what I had to do.

Closing my eyes, and squeezing the knife, I made a huge thrust forward, plunging into the man's body and I didn't see his bloody mess until the smoke cleared.

He wasn't exactly dead yet, but I knew that in this condition, he was as good as dead.

My body was shaking and I realized that I had killed another human being. A chilling thought crept up my spine and into my brain. What if this guy was really innocent? What if he wasn't the one the Devil wanted us to kill? Or what if he purposely made us kill someone who was innocent and they were just possessed.

Gathering courage, I rolled the lifeless body over and looked into his green eyes. Still green. Open and dead. They weren't red. They were never possessed. Thank god.

I didn't even notice Neji's hand on my shoulder.

"Tenten."

I didn't respond.

"Tenten ..."

Still, I couldn't respond.

I didn't even realize that was grabbing his hand and slowly wrapping it around to my back. Then I hugged him. The only reason I did was because I probably didn't even realize it was him.

"Tenten." Neji repeated it as if he was trying to bring me back from insanity.

"What?" I whisper, barely managing to get the word out.

"You know it's okay right?" He says, his voice cold but sincere.

"Is it?"

Neji doesn't break my hug to my relief.

"He was a bad guy. You need to stop freaking out over this."

I shake my head.

"How do you know?" I wonder, my fingers tightening on his shirt.

I almost could tell Neji was frowning.

"He was an enemy."

"Of the Devil." I reminded Neji.

"Still an enemy." Neji argued as if he was trying to keep me sane and away from the insanity that lurked through my veins, starting to consume my body.

"Aren't we the enemy too, though?" I asked him. "Wouldn't that make him our ally?"

Neji didn't respond. For some reason, I think he knew that I was right. He wouldn't admit it though. He knew I would probably go into a crying fit.

Finally he broke the hug and pushed me away.

"Where's your book bag?" He questioned, taking me by surprised.

I pointed to the object lain on the floor that I had tossed aside once I was in combat, not wanting to crush the contents when I rolled on the desk.

Neji picks it up and starts searching. Inside, he grabs my iPod, then shows it to me.

I watched him scroll through the songs but I didn't move towards him.

Neji found the desired song and tossed me the MP3 player, along with my large headphones.

I raised my eyebrow and Neji folds his arms.

"Put the headphones in," he orders. "And turn the music as loud as it can go."

I gave him a look of confusion which just made him push me harder. So finally I just put the headphones over my ears and looked at my iPod. The blue bar highlighted the song "Again" by YUI. My eyes watered as I realized he was trying to make me feel better. I pressed the 'play' button and turned the music up.

But once the beginning started, I knew something was wrong.

I reached for my book bag and searched deep down. It took me a while to get my earphones and even longer to get them untangled. Once I did, I set my iPod on repeat and switched to earphones, handing the right one to Neji and kept the left one for me.

It was his turn to raise his eyebrow.

"Listen." I said shortly.

He put it to his ear and I restarted the song.

We leave the messy scene listening to the song "Again" ... again. It was what Neji had me sing when we were lying in the alleyway when I killed my first person.

I was happy to be getting back on the bus. Leaving the knife in the man's body ... I didn't like it but knew that we couldn't be caught carrying a knife in broad daylight. However, even though I was so tired, I knew there was so much to do when I got back. I still had to practice my violin ... Iruka was not happy with my frequent absences and lack of practice...

Neji and I were on the bus now, sitting pretty close to each other. I was surprised that Neji was sitting on the bus so close.

As if on cue, he turned to me and said shortly, "Don't fucking get used to it, Panda." he then turned back and we listened to the song for the third time.

I knew it was a little much but music was the root of my sanity, my resistance ... it helped me resist the poison. I had to love it.

When we got back to the dorms, I grabbed Neji's arm when he took out the earphones.

"What?"

"Wanna listen to me play violin?" I inquired.

"Fuck no."

"Please." I begged.

"What part of 'fuck no' do you not understand?" Neji wondered, shaking off my grip.

I frowned.

"Please. You're the reason that Iruka isn't happy with me anyway!"

Neji rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He answered. "Make it quick."

He followed me into my dorm and I ordered him to take a seat on the small couch while I got out of my violin. He kept his eyebrows raised as I began to tune in fifths. It was a little nerve-wracking with him watching me but something about it was comforting and that annoying, fluttery feeling returned to my stomach.

"Don't laugh." I commanded.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want." He responded and I shrugged it off.

I drew my bow and placed it on the string.

"Singing or no singing?" I asked him.

"Don't care." was his blunt and informative response.

I decided to sing at the parts that didn't have the melody.

The sound was soft and sweet and I made sure to start with slow vibrato then gradually get faster and intense.

"Sakura ... Sakura ... ya yo i no so ra wa."

The words were sweet also and high pitched ... eerie and intense too.

I was so focused on my music and performance that I barely even noticed that Neji was trying to hide his secret captivation to my deadly song.

The ending was fast ... it got faster ... then it reached maximum speed, with maximum vibrato.

I was also now singing the harmony parts and the violin had the melody. Intensity. Vibrato. Faster. Faster. End.

The ending was a couple of quick pizzicato jabs, plucking.

Neji stared at my, trying to cover is awe. My sweet but deadly song had, just for a split second, got him.

* * *

**A/N: Ohhh daaang. Sorry I updated a wee bit laaaate. I had a dance competition on Sunday (yayy) High gold for all dances! =) So I decided to add some fluff too to make up for the lack of update ... hope you guys** **are haaaappy. Sooo I hope you guys review cuz I luuuuv you !**

**:{ angrryyy mustache man  
**


	21. Max

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 21: Max

_You don't know me, you don't know me,  
You don't know me, you don't know me,_

_So shut up boy, so shut up boy,  
So shut up boy, shut up, shut up!  
_

I laid in bed with my phone in my hands. I was watching the music video for Miss A's "Bad Girl, Good Girl". It was one of my favorites and made me feel more empowered as a woman when I listened to it.

_You couldn't say a thing in front of me,_  
_ but you could talk badly about me behind my back.  
I'm dumbfounded. _

It reminded me of the stupid boys who always misjudge girls as bitches or hoes, hence the saying "Bros before hoes" that I hate.

_Hello, Hello, Hello._  
_ It seems like the first time, time, time you've seen a girl like me._  
_ Why do you judge me?_  
_ Are you afraid of me, perhaps? _

It made me feel relief when I was thought about how Neji wasn't even like that. He always spoke his mind and dug deep to find out what a person was like.

_On the outside, I'm a Bad Girl._  
_ On the inside, I'm a Good Girl._  
_ You don't even know me well, you only look at me from the outside._  
_ I find your gaze to be funny because you see me as a pitiful girl. _

I did try to look bad-ass on the outside with my blaring headphones, messy hair, and makeup but I wasn't really a girl who thought that she was higher than others around her. I loved other people and liked to hang out with people. Being super bitchy is something beyond my comprehension.

_When I dance, I'm a Bad Girl._  
_ When I love, I'm a Good Girl._  
_ When you watch me dance, you become mesmerized, but are you done after you watch?_  
_ I find your hypocrisy to be funny because you point at me. _

I did actually know the dance to this song and watching the girls in the music video sway their hips did make me want to get up and do something but I was feeling that maybe I should do something more productive.

Just as I was about to do the dance to the next chorus, my cell rings.

"Hello?"

"Tenten?" It was Ino.

"Hey, how is it finally being out of the hospital?" I asked.

"Good." She responded.

Something was wrong.

"Is something bothering you?" I wondered.

"No."

I let out a short laugh. She's forgetting that I'm the better liar.

"I know you're lying." I informed her. "Don't forget that I'm the best."

"Well sorry." She snaps, but her retort didn't pack much punch.

"Seriously," I said, rolling off my bed and into the bathroom.

With the phone on speaker, I began to pull my hair up into one messy side bun.

"What's wrong?"

She paused, as if contemplating whether she should tell me or not.

"I can't help but get the feeling that I'm being watched." Ino confesses.

My eyebrows furrow as I try to put on my eyeliner but my fingers tremble at Ino's words that were uttered through the phone.

"How do you know?" I wondered.

"It's just a feeling." Ino replied. "It's probably nothing."

My eyes narrow again.

"Ino." I remind, "Between you an me, we're not in a situation where something like this is probably nothing."

I was being serious. If she thought she was being followed or watched she had to be **_careful_**. One slip up and she'd be killed.

After another silence I added, "Want me to sleep with you tonight?"

"No, Tenten, it's okay." Ino argued. "I don't want you to go out of your way."

I sighed.

"Okay, Ino but if you want me to come over, just say." I told her.

"Yep."

"Bye."

"Bye." She states, hanging up.

Finally the eyeliner is on and I realize that it's 6:00 PM and I'm not really going anywhere.

That is, until I get another call.

I expected it to be Ino but it was Naruto.

"Hey Tenten!" He bellowed into the phone.

"I'm no buying you ramen." I informed him.

"Nah." Naruto protested. "Sounds nice but Sakura and I have a bet and you need to go on a date with me."

I sighed.

"Are you paying?"

"You bet!" He remarks excitedly.

"Fine let's go." I agree, knowing it was free dinner and I needed food and a place to be.

I changed into a light blue, short skirt and an orange tank. After putting on lip gloss, I left with my purse.

With earphones in, listening to "Like the First" by T-ara, I strutted out of the dorms.

Naruto was waiting by the bus stop.

"Sorry." He apologized when I got there. "But Sakura said that I wouldn't be able to get a date with anyone. But then she told me I couldn't go with Hinata...something about too easy."

Way easy. Hinata would be jumping for joy to go on a date with Naruto.

"It's okay." I replied. "I'm hungry."

Naruto smiled and grabbed my arm when the bus came. The good thing about going with him versus Neji was that I knew he was going to be nice to me ... wait! Why did I just compare him to Neji? Like I **_care _**about going on a date with **_him_**.

Shaking off the feeling, I climb the steps after Naruto and take the seat next to him.

When the bus stopped, we walked through the buzzing Konoha night market. I loved walking around at night ... the market was always brilliantly lit up then.

Naruto stopped at Ichiraku's and forced me into a seat.

I raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we weren't getting ramen." I told Naruto.

"I just said that **_you _**weren't buying it." Naruto remarked with a smirk.

Then he started talking to the owner because they went way back. I watched and couldn't help but smile.

And then Naruto ordered me the jumbo bowl ...

oOoOo

"Ah ..." I mumbled. "I'm so full."

Naruto nods in agreement.

I was about to say something else but there was a buzz in my pocket.

_"Geot eulon bad girl sog eulon good girl_  
_ Naleul jal aljido moshamyeonseo nae geotmoseubman bomyeonseo "_

"Good Girl, Bad Girl" was playing.

I pulled out my cell and saw that it was Neji.

"Hey." I said, picking up the phone, giving my temporary date an apologetic look.

"Tenten." It came out as a growl. He's pissed as usual.

"Hmm?"

"Ino's gone."

My heart nearly stopped.

"What?" I demanded. "Where?"

"I don't fucking know!" Neji spat. "I thought you would! But Shikamaru just called me saying that Ino called him, panicking, but then the phone suddenly disconnected and we can't find her now. Her cell phone is lying in her room, smashed to pieces."

I gripped my phone with anguish.

"Well what are we gonna do?" I cried.

"Come to my dorm immediately."

_Click._

"Naruto ... bad news." I told him grimly. "Ino's been kidnapped."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Damn." He commented. "That's serious!"

"I know." I answered. "We've got to hurry to the bus."

Our walk turned into a sprint.

oOoOo

"Neji..." I panted, banging on his door.

Once he opens it, I walk in and collapse on his bed from exhaustion. I ran all the way here. It took me a half hour but that was because the bus wasn't scheduled to **_come _**for another forty-five minutes.

"We can't do it, Tenten." Neji said.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Overthrow **_him_**." Neji replied. "One man down is enough to throw the odds out of sorts.

My eyebrows knitted together.

"What do we do?" I questioned.

"Somehow we can try to get Ino back." Neji suggested. "But that would be the same as overthrowing the Devil. He'd take it as a threat and go all out on us. We need another person. Ino has an important spiritual power that was **_key _**to the plan."

"So why can't we get another man?" I inquired.

"Who?" Neji asked me, taking a seat by me on his bed. "Who the fuck would want to do anything this crazy and would be on _**our **_side?"

"How about ... " I ponder. "Max?"

"Not in fucking Hell."

I laughed at the ironic statement.

"Literally." Neji adds.

I sighed.

"I really think we should." I told him.

Neji sighed too, lying back on his bed.

"Max is too risky. He changes sides way too often." He remarked. "He goes to whoever is winning, smart and bastardish. And that side will most likely be the Devil's."

I started to think hard. Who else could we get? And how could we get Max on our side?

And then it hit me.

"Neji." I announce. "I know how to get Max."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

I chuckled, happy that Neji missed something that I didn't.

"**_Who _**exactly was kidnapped?" I questioned.

"Ino..."

"And?" I continued.

Neji's eyes widened.

"Holy fuck, Tenten, for once you're genius!"

I nod smiling.

"Would you like me to call?"

Neji tossed me his phone and I bounce up and off of his bed, scrolling through his contacts until I find Max.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Hello?" A bored voice groaned.

"Max? This is Tenten." I said, hoping he knew who I was.

"The new chick?" Max guessed.

"Yeah." I confirmed.

"What the hell do you want?" He demands.

I look at Neji.

He nods.

"We need your help in overthrowing ... the ... l u c i f e r." I whispered.

"The what?" He mumbled.

"L U C I F E R!" I bellowed into the phone.

Neji rolls his eyes and smacks his forehead.

"Fucking impossible." Max remarked.

"I think you'll change your mind." I informed him, Neji and I exchanging smirks.

"Why the hell is that?" Max inquired.

I pressed the phone close to my mouth.

"Because **_he _**has Ino."

"WHAT?" Max's calm personality blew up.

"He kidnapped her." I elaborated.

"How the hell did he do that?" Max asked angrily.

"The real question is, are you in our out?" I told him.

"It's not like a care about her or-"

"Answer the question!" I yelled, growing impatient. "Are you **_in _**or are you **_out_**?"

There was a split second pause.

"I'm _**in**_."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry sorry sorry sorry, if that was a very short chapter! Haha that sounded like it was to the tune of SuJu's "Sorry, sorry" But yeah anyway. You guys LIKE? =) I really do love writing this story cuz it's too fun XD But yeahhhhh as you see Tenten is starting to REALIZE something about her and Neji XDXDXD Thanks for reading a reviewwww!**


	22. Proof of the Beating Heart

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 22: Proof of the Beating Heart

"I swear to fucking god if it's China I'm gonna kill him now!" I cried upon hearing Neji's news. It was already bad enough that we weren't saving Ino right at this moment. I mean how did we know that she was even alive? Max was getting impatient ever since we told him a few days ago.

"No." He argued. "We're not going to China, just taking a train to Tokyo."

"Oh."

Then the excitement surged. Tokyo? Tokyo! GAK! I've always wanted to go to Tokyo and escape Konoha! But you know ... still stay in Japan...

"YES!" I yelled with great excitement.

Neji sighed, palming his forehead and staring at my carry-on items.

"We're not going on a plane..." He reminded me.

"I know." I remarked, feeling a cough rise. I covered my mouth and gagged before continued. "Ahem..." I mumbled. "Anyway ... when you said 'long distance' ... I took it the wrong way."

Neji scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously."

I just frowned and shoved him.

"Let's just get on the freaking train." I grumbled, pulling him out the door.

He didn't seem to like that because Neji shook off my grip.

I adjusted my book bag, which concealed a knife. It was scary I was getting used to the idea of murdering people.

"Real assassination or not?" I asked.

Neji's eyebrow went up again as we left the dorms.

"Either way it **_is _**an assassination." He corrected me.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help feeling chilled about the thought.

"Devil's order or ours?" I fixed.

Neji paused.

"Ours."

I gulped, for a split instant wishing I'd never found out about the plan. That way I wouldn't be feeling all of these controversial thoughts.

We walked about a mile to the train station and on the way I had my iPod. The song 'Beating My Heart' by John McLaughlin was playing first and I had a feeling Neji could speak English because he was raising his eyebrows every time cute lyrics came on.

_"And then I open my eyes,  
I know you're beating my heart,  
beating my heart,"_

_"Look at the sky,  
I know you're beating my hear,  
beating my heart."_

Except I couldn't help but laugh with joy at the words while Neji released heavy sighs, having a hard time ignoring the stares of people who heard the music.

He just folded his arms and looks away from me.

When we got on the train, Neji sat across from me and there were empty compartments around us. So of **_course _**he chooses now, to order me to turn off my music when it doesn't even matter because no one was around. I mean, if it were still when we were on the streets, I would understand why he would want me to turn it off, but now?

Then he closes his eyes.

Oh. He wanted to sleep.

So I curled up into my own ball and started to close my eyes. Sleep ... sounded good. Even if it was a sunny Saturday afternoon in late May.

oOoOo

I woke up to a beam of light streaming through the window of the train. It was about two O' clock. We'd been on the train for almost two hours. Neji was staring at me. I blinked back.

"What?" I questioned, wondering why he was giving me that contemplating **_stare _**of his.

Neji just shook his head, sighing, muttering something about me being complicated.

I grumbled something inaudible then stretched.

"Do they have any food?" My stomach on cue, growls ten seconds later.

"Do you have money?" Neji inquired.

I pout. I was almost positive I spent it all last week. So to check, I opened my book bag and took out my wallet. Sure enough, I had 100 yen left (like a dollar).

"Neji?" I asked, batting my eyelashes.

Neji scowled.

"Don't expect me to-"

I dropped to the floor and put on my best begging face.

"Neji, if I don't have food I won't be able to perform on the mission properly and I shall be complaining the whole time! So onigai!" I begged. "Food!"

"Fine." He grumbled. "Get whatever you want." Neji pulled out his wallet and handed me about 15,000 yen.

I walked out of our compartment and skipped down the aisle, passing just a few people. I kept going until I arrived at the trolley which was currently servicing a really old man. And when I say really old I don't just mean _oh-he's-a-senior-citizen_. I mean _oh-my-effing-god-he's-a-freaking-ancient-artifact _kind of old.

"Thank you." He croaked giving an old, nearly toothless smile.

"Hello." I greeted both of them to be polite.

"What would you like?" The kind lady turns to me showing me her cart and I feel like its Harry Potter, except the candy isn't magic.

So I pick out a bunch of ichigo flavored candy, then some jelly beans, a salami sandwich ... and some fruit juice.

I jogged back to our compartment and shut the door behind me, then I gave Neji his change of about half a dollar.

Then I set the food on his seat, putting it in between us, sitting close to him though.

"What are you doing?" He inquired, confused.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Sharing?"

He still looked confused.

"Ever hear of it in your stoic bastard-like world?" I asked him.

Neji just blinked and stared back at the food.

I coughed into my sleeve again.

"Unless you're afraid of getting sick," I suggested sniffing, adding a smile.

"That's not what I meant." Neji muttered.

I rolled my eyes, taking a giant bite out of my salami sandwich, wishing Sakura or Hinata was here, also missing Ino ... poor Ino.

Neji still hasn't moved an inch.

I glare at him.

"Eat! Because I know that you're hungry!" I ordered.

Neji just didn't move.

I shoved the sandwich in his face and urged him to take a bite. Finally after twenty seconds, he grabs it and bites. Then I take a bite and we go every other. It was a team game of sharing food. I knew Neji wasn't grossed out about sharing 'germs'. I didn't really care ... wait why didn't I care? That doesn't mean I possibly ...

NEVER!

But anyway, we share the jelly beans and all the random ichigo flavored candy.

I drink half of the juice in one chug and then give the rest to Neji.

When we're about done the train stops in Tokyo and we get off.

"Have you ever been to the big cities like this?" Neji wondered as I dumped out the trash in a nearby trash can.

"Nope." I responded.

"Stay close." He advised.

And it doesn't even take long for me to get lost and get in a big ... how would I say it? Pickle. Trouble.

"Neji?" I cried past the buzzing people.

I think I heard him call my name but the voice was so fuzzy and faint I could barely make it out.

So I tried to stay where I was so Neji could come and find me but I finally became aware of what was going on around me, so I kind of wanted to move.

Three men were stalking up to me and I was well aware of the knife in my bag and their close proximity. But I couldn't just beat them up ... if they weren't the target and the police got involved I would be in deep shit that would be hard to get out of and I highly doubted that the Devil would get me out of it considering we're plotting to overthrow him.

"What are you doing?" I growled, trying to act tough.

"Ohh. Got some sass?" The one in the middle puts his hips. Then he reached out towards my chin. But he didn't make contact.

A heavy arm was apparent on my shoulder and I panicked for a small second and was about to knock whoever it was silly. But it was my partner. Neji, with a pissed expression.

"She yours?" The man on the left asked, people rushing behind us.

Neji's raised an eyebrow at the man's choice of words.

"Yeah." He replied to my surprise.

The one in the middle seemed unconvinced, thinking that Neji was just some man out of the blue, trying to save a girl from being raped.

"Prove it." He spits.

Neji's other eyebrow went up.

He cocked his head to the side in a challenging way.

"Fine."

I had no idea what he was about to do.

Then he grabbed the back of my head, gripping my hair, interlacing his fingers between it, then I felt his lips against mine and his other arm supporting my back. I didn't know what to grab onto so I gripped the lean muscle on his arms. My heart was going a million miles an hour and I felt like the moment was slowing down, his lips moving against mine ... the eagerness was excruciating, exciting, enthralling and almost painful ... anxious?

Okay ... so maybe this was my first kiss.

Finally Neji slowed and pushed me away, giving me almost a stern look as if he was trying to decipher what just happened, then he turned, glaring at them. But all I could feel was my beating heart ... Neji being the reason it was beating hard.

They stepped back intimidated.

"Man we're sorry to mess with your girl."

I blinked, feeling Neji's arm slink away and for some reason I didn't want it to.

My hair that was once in two (for once) neat buns, was now a sloppy mess from Neji's amazing han- hands! Just regular, plain, old hands!

"Come on, Panda."

Neji just walks forward and expects me to follow.

"Uh uh. Mister." I pulled at his collar and he swung around.

"What?" Neji snapped.

"You kind of stole my first kiss." And the scary thing was that I had a hunch Neji was an expert on kissing because that was definitely not his first.

Neji raised his eyebrow.

"I didn't even kiss you for **_real._**" He said. There was a highly amused expression that illuminated his face.

"For real?" I demanded. "What is _**that**_ supposed to mean?"

Neji's amused smirk grew.

"I suppose you wouldn't know since that was your first." Neji was walking now.

I placed my hands on my hips, not moving.

"Excuse me?" I called after him.

"Maybe you'll find out if you keep standing there..." Neji suggested, still walking forward. How the hell he knew that I was still frozen solid was beyond me...

So I started jumping around. I technically wasn't standing.

Finally Neji turned around and waved me to follow and I thought for a second he was smiling... beautiful!

Wait, what did I just think?

Shaking it off, I sprinted towards him, giving him a punch in the shoulder. But I couldn't help but feel so happy that I wanted to giggle. Something about Neji ... made me just want to ... smile?

oOoOo

"It should be here."

"Should be?" I questioned. "I thought you were Neji, the genius?"

Neji rolled his eyes.

"I've been to Tokyo twice before this. Sorry if I don't know my way perfectly around." Neji grumbled, putting away his cell phone which had had the GPS.

For the long hours I'd been singing KPOP music just because I was too lazy to fumble around with my iPod while walking with a crowd.

But as we kept walking, I felt a darkness fall. It wasn't only the sky but around my heart. There was something that was beginning to be wrong.

It felt so similar to Hell.

"Neji." I whispered. "Where are we?"

Neji glanced around. He narrowed his eyes.

I coughed, hacking into my arm, wishing I had brought a sweat shirt.

Neji looked at me as if my coughing was the problem here. But his stare soon returned to our surroundings.

The city lights were far away from us and we were in a ghetto area where it was dark...the time was almost eight.

My feet were so achingly tired.

Neji was probably going to comment about my coughing when there was a scream behind us. More like a shriek ... no it was a **_laugh._**

Then a flying projectile hit my head.

And I blacked out.

* * *

**A/N: OMG GUYS THAT WAS INTENSE! =) Did you like the major fluff? XDXD Yeah. I'm sorry for updating so late. I've been pretty stressed out lately. We've got these state standardized tests that are poooop. Oh well. Look up the song "Beating My Heart" by John McLaughlin. It's amazing. So anyway I've been busy with dance competitions ... 1st place high gold and platinum plus judge's choice... yay =) Sooo review cuz you're all my luvss XD Byee!**


	23. Oh Hell No

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 23: Oh Hell No.

It was when I woke up with an aching headache that I realized it. It was when I slowly opened my eyes and saw Neji ... he was breathing heavily, covered in blood, his hair in snarls. It was when his warm breath and arm wrapped around my shoulders.

Neji was a hot mess ... and I was fucking in love with him.

"Oh ... hell **_no_**," The words barely escaped my mouth.

"What?" Neji asked, aggravated. It wasn't directed towards me, but at both of our wounds.

"Nothing!" I hoped I was as dirty as he was to cover up my red face.

This sucked. It fucking sucked. How could I love him? I didn't even like him before! LIKING IS THE FIRST STEP! WHY'D IT FUCKING GO FROM HATE TO LOVE? There was the saying 'there's a fine line between love and hate' but I never thought that would apply to me.

And now that I'm looking at him it makes total sense. I looked at his face and found that the sweat dripping down his forehead was attractive ... what ... the ... FUCK?

I knew this was no time to have a potty mouth but I think my foul words were covering up my thoughts that consumed my mind, all about him of course.

_Neji. Neji. Neji. I love him, he'll never love me._

It's not like I was worried about some other girl coming along and taking him ... I just didn't think he would **_ever _**want to go out with a girl, especially me.

"Can you walk?" Neji broke through my thoughts. Well they were about him anyway...

"I think so." My throbbing headache was only getting worse.

Neji grabbed my elbow to steady me as I got up and I felt a bolt of electricity in my arm at his touch.

This was **_not _**going to work. I could not work with him if every time he touched me I was electrocuted.

I sighed. I had to try otherwise I wouldn't be able to get home.

"Where's the body?" I questioned.

Neji sighed, motioning towards a counter. I assumed the body was behind it.

"You okay?" I managed to ask, feeling self conscious for no apparent reason.

He nodded. "It was hard but I got through." Finally he added. "Sorry, I should've protected you ..."

My heart lurched with butterflies.

"U-u-uh...nahhh that's okay!" I stammered. "You know I'm p-probably more useful knocked out."

I ... am such an idiot.

Neji raised his eyebrow.

"Another reason you should go to the hospital and get your concussion checked out..." He muttered under his breath.

I knew it was an insult but I kind of longed for it.

WEAK! A part of me screamed. And LET HIM was another part... I WAS SO CONFUSED!

Neji and I limped back to the train station in silence. I itched to get out of his grasp because I knew now that I could never think of him the same way.

We bought our tickets and camped out on a bench. There was an awkward silence and my book bag was getting heavy, resting on my knees. I wanted to pull out my iPod and jam to some music but now I felt awkward about giving Neji an earpiece... Oh hell.

"Music?" I suggested.

"Don't play crap." Neji only said, taking the earphone.

I decided to play 'Little Girl' by Trading Yesterday. Makes me cry half the time.

_"Cuz all of this is all that I can take,  
and you could never understand the demons that I face.  
So go ahead and bat your eyes and lie right to the world  
For everything you are, you're just a little girl."_

Neji didn't seem to protest but I sensed he had a feeling of correlation from the song to our situation.

Finally the train came, breaking the awkward silence but also strengthening it once we sat in our seats. Because we were helping each other walk, we ended up next to each other. I was too nervous to change seats so I decided to just put my feet up on the seat opposite of us and shutting my eyes, resting them.

Knowing little of what trouble it would be when I woke.

oOoOo

About thirty minutes before our stop, I woke up to find my head resting on Neji's shoulder. I think that he was sleeping too, hoped he was sleeping.

Quickly, I shot straight up, blinking. I scooted a little to the left, trying to avoid him.

Listening to my iPod again, the thirty minutes went surprisingly fast. Neji awoke, ten minutes after I did but didn't listen to music with me.

We left the train station, no longer using each other as walking sticks but we both were clearly limping.

The walk about to the dorms was pretty quiet also. I tried making small talk but just couldn't continue it. I was too busy thinking ... about him. His pale eyes, lips ... so kissable and-

STOP! I was dreaming about kissing him ... NOT GOOD! If he'd never kissed me I would not be having these delusional scenarios going on in my head.

But I wanted it so much-

"Tenten!" I snapped forward.

"Yes!" I cried like a soldier in the military.

Neji sighed.

"Are you okay?" He repeated. "You're not traumatized or anything?"

I shook my head, probably too quickly.

Neji motioned towards my door, unconvinced.

"Well ... if you need anything..." He didn't finish his sentence he watched me stumble into my room.

"Good night." I mumbled.

I had no idea what time it was and frankly I couldn't care less, I was so tired...

So I crawled into bed and slept without changing. Sleeeep.

oOoOo

_Monday_

_Chinese_

Neji kicked my chair and I snapped my head around, looking behind me at him.

"What?" I hissed, trying as best as possible to cover up my feelings for the unknowing male or so it seemed.

Neji scoffed, but then he gave me a smirk that made my heart melt. Then he gulped in a cocky way. I watched his Adam's apple move with his confident swallow.

All I can think is that he knows. He was giving me that **_look_**. The _I-fucking-know-something-you-don't _look!

I raised my eyebrows pretending to be oblivious to the situation.

Coughing, "Hmm. Huh. Neji." I said. "You're bothering me."

His smirk widened.

"Oh I'm sure it's _**bothering**_." He remarked sarcastically.

_He knows, he knows, he know-_

"Tenten, turn around!

oOoOo

Neji was harassing me all day, especially in Biology. He was throwing paper in my hair, trying to piss me off, then pointing to Sasuke, claiming that he did it. I was getting super pissed too.

Still, there was the thought of Ino in the back of my mind ...

Sakura and I were texting frequently throughout the day, trying to come up with an efficient plan, but Neji said that we all needed to come together to plan a meeting.

oOoOo

In the end, the rescue team consisted of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Shikamaru, Max and Me.

Hinata, Kiba and Lee were back up, coming in after were fought our way through to the Devil and Chouji was to stay at the school and fight off the demons that the Devil would send there once he realized what we were trying to do.

Neji was extremely reluctant to put me on the rescue team but we encouraged him that I was the only one who could work with him ... and that was true. If Lee's speed was needed as backup, the only person Neji would've ever been able to communicate with was me.

We decided to go through with out plan the night after the school dance. I hope I'd get sleep...

I was extremely frightened and worried about Neji and I getting awkward but I knew that wasn't as important as getting Ino back.

But yes, I was afraid to die.

"How are we going to overthrow him?" Sakura asked the question that everyone was thinking about, but too afraid to ask.

Everyone in the small dorm (Neji's dorm) narrowed their eyes, looking around as if to see the Devil was eavesdropping.

Neji spoke up.

"We remind him about ... the Lucifer."

Everyone shuddered.

The Lucifer? As in the Devil as he was being cast down from heaven into hell?

"The fallen angel?" Hinata asked.

Neji nodded.

"But I know the **_real_** reason he was banished." He said. "Even though it was through a different body, the same Devil, same soul, takes over new bodies. It's the same thing inside of him that was descended years ago ... which means it has the same weakness."

We all stared intently at Neji.

"Don't worry." He assured us, his voice icy. "I'll take care of it."

I felt myself shivering. Neji looked over and noticed but he made an effort to make it look like he didn't.

oOoOo

When I was back in my brightly lit room, I found myself ready to cry. I wasn't exactly sure if it was because me loving Neji, being scared about the mission or just the chilling thought of the Lucifer. Whatever it was, it scared me. It brought tears into my eyes.

I laid in the dark listening to my iPod in shorts and a tank.

My phone was resting on my night stand. It buzzed loudly causing me to jump.

I scrolled through it and saw I had a text, from Neji.

_Neji: Are you sure you're okay, because you fucking looked pretty scared._

_Me: Psh. I'm fine._

No I'm not.

_Neji: Liar. It's sad that I can tell that you're lying even when it's texting._

_Me: I'm just distracted._

_Neji: You don't have to do it if you don't want to._

_Me: ..._

_Neji: You're dealing with something that can't be outmatched ... you can't run away from it._

_Me: I know. But I have to do this. I survived the poison and all the other shit 'he's' put me through and I'm sick of it._

_Neji: But you're scared Panda._

_Me: I GODDAMN KNOW THAT! _

_Neji: God you're so troublesome._

_..._

_Neji: You're crying._

_Me: Yeah so what?_

_Neji: It's ... going to be okay. So don't get so fucking worked up._

That's it. That concluded it. I was totally in love with Hyuuga Neji. No other way around it.

I sighed.

Oh ... hell ... no.

* * *

**A/N: Okay guys, listen up. I was going to write this chapter next, but I couldn't because I realized something also today. I did the unforgivable ... I fell in love. I've liked this kid for a bit now and we had a dance today. Played dodge ball, me and my friend were the only girls (out of like 50 boys *no exaggeration*) and that's where it happened. The dude I liked was on our team (and not on my team because he switched sides twice) and that's when I saw it. When we were both hot and sweaty owning the other team and DJ got us falling in love again was in the background... I love him. I effing love him. Shit. **

**Oh well. You guys don't need to know my love life. *Sigh* YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER? IT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!**

**So review ... and get ready for a fight!  
**


	24. Dresses

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 24: Dresses

I felt so ridiculous that it wasn't even funny. Dresses. Goddamn dresses.

"In honor of Ino," Sakura announced. "You have to wear a dress!"

I glared at her, pissed.

"This isn't funny, Sakura." I growled. "Ino could be **_dead_**!"

Sakura gave a scoff.

"Our Ino is tougher than that. She's not a called a pig for nothing!"

I sighed. Sakura's ranting was only giving me a headache.

"We've got one more night before we go into hell." Sakura said. "Let's make the best of it!"

Groaning, I followed her into the dress shop.

Sakura led me through the dresses while Hinata followed closely behind. It was almost like a maze in there and I wasn't a mouse that could easily find my way out. So I just followed my pink haired friend.

The whole time spent was Sakura trying on every goddamn dress in the store and making me try on the stupidest ones.

Finally though, one caught my eye. It was a short, bright yellow dress. It was strapless and the the waistline was thin while the bottom poofed out to the knees. I wasn't gonna lie. It looked pretty sweet.

"Sakura...I'm gonna try this one on!" I called to her.

She didn't see the dress but called an 'ok' probably thankful I agreed to try something on.

I stripped down in the dressing room and slipped into the sun-kissed dress. I flowed over my knobbly knees and fit around my waist perfectly. As I looked in the mirror, for the first time, I felt beautiful. And as I was leaving the dressing room I was trying to hide my excitement from Sakura but she sensed that I liked the dress.

"Damn..." Sakura mumbled. "Someone looks HAWT!"

I rolled my eyes at her but secretly felt flattered. A dress actually looked good on me. It was a miracle.

So for the next hour I danced around and posed throughout the store.

oOoOo

"You should see Tenten's dress." Sakura pried at lunch.

Neji gave her the stink eye while I elbowed her.

"What?" Sakura smirked. "H...O...T...HOT!"

We ignored her. I knew Sakura was just trying to fill the eerie silence that consumed the table. We knew Ino was capture and as the days passed we felt even more creeped out. It was starting to become a ghostly ritual even though we knew she must've been alive.

It wasn't until I went to Chinese that I figured something out.

My phone buzzed and Anko glared at me. Of course she didn't really care if I started texting but she had to pretend to so she wouldn't get fire or anything.

Although she did get mad because I screamed but I didn't mind getting in trouble considering what the text was.

_Hurry the fuck up. No time. Tomorrow._

It was from Ino. I felt like hyperventilating.

I felt Neji's warm hand on my bare shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He mumbled.

Then I showed him the text. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front of the room. We got permission from Anko to leave.

Neji led me to the office. I wondered why but realized he must've been wanting to go to Tsunade. I figured she had to of known about the devil considering the time when she had pulled me over when I was meeting Neji at the lunch room.

I drummed my fingers on the desk waiting for her to enter. Neji glanced at me as if unsure what we were gonna say. He hadn't really spoken to me in the last five minutes and I still felt awkward...considering a few days ago I learned that I'd fallen in love with him over the past three months.

And there I was months ago thinking love took years to develop.

Tsunade stormed in the room.

"Where is it?" She demanded.

How the hell did she know?

I was frightened to give the woman my cellphone, scared that she'd the goddamn thing on the floor. I hardly knew her anyway. This was like the second time I'd seen her.

She glares at the text.

"I thought we had more time." She mumbled. "Neji when **_were _**you planning on getting her back?"

I was so confused. Did she know _**everything**_?

"Saturday." Neji replied so commander-like that I wondered how much power Tsunade had over him.

"Tomorrow." Tsunade said. "It's been changed obviously." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Of course he chose to do it the day of the dance."

My palms sweated as I sat next to Neji. He seemed just as confused and aggravated as I was. Dammit.

"Tell everyone the new plan." Tsunade folded her arms after returning my cellphone to me. "You infiltrate tomorrow and 10:31 PM."

"But the dance goes to midnight!" I argued. "What happens if-"

"Surprise attack." Tsunade argued. "Go to the dance until then and then the rescue team can go in. The people who stay back need to protect everyone at the dance." Tsunade rubbed her temples. "I can see why the Devil's doing this at a school dance. So many prey gathered in one area..."

The blonde woman seemed so frustrated I thought she was ready to throw her desk into the wall.

"Get out of my office please." She moaned. "Take the day off and revise your plan."

Neji and exited the office and I found myself walking close to him, our shoulders pressed together.

"Who exactly **_is _**she?" I wondered.

"The who's been tortured by the the devil the most." Neji replied...and we kept walking.

oOoOo

Typically one can't sleep the night before they walk into hell. I found myself being typical.

I rolled out of my bed, landing on my iPod. I was wearing sky blue shorts and a bright yellow T-shirt. But I didn't mind going out in the dark like that.

With my cell phone, music, and room key I left the dorm and walked down the desolate hallway, barefoot. I didn't bother with shoes or turning on the hallway light. I just knew where I was going.

My partners dorm was a couple minute walk and when I got there I knocked.

Neji opened the door, rubbing his eyes.

"Tenten what the hell are you doing so late at night?" He growled.

I glanced at my clock realizing it was 12:17 AM.

"I can't sleep." I admitting, expecting him to shut the door, but he opened it further, inviting me in.

"Yeah."He mumbled. "Join the party."

"You can't either?" I asked, feeling like I wasn't the only one.

He chuckled, lowly.

"Only because you woke me up. I _**was **_sleeping. But now I won't."

Guilt pricked at me.

"Sorry." I apologized. I reached for the door handle but Neji gripped my wrist with a smirk.

"Well you can't leave now that you came in." He informed me. "I'm assuming you wanna talk?"

I sighed collapsing on his bed.

"Kinda." I mumbled.

Neji laughed.

"That's how I used to feel." he said. "I was so unsure about what I wanted to do and what I was supposed to do and after a while your integrity starts to drain with the amount of mission you take."

Neji took a seat on his floor and I leaned over on the bed, looking down at him.

"Tsunade's been poisoned 28 times." Neji informed me.

My eyes widened.

"More than you..." I observed.

Neji let out another laugh.

"I'm not the best." He told me.

For the rest of the night he told me stories and stories about the Devil and all of his missions and before I knew it, I forgot for just a split second about all the bad things that were about to happen and that's when I feel fast asleep in his bed.

**A/N: GUYS! I still don't have a new computer:( This chapter was made on and off of my mom's computer so it was hard to make and kinda crappy! I'll try to update as often as possible because I'm planning on getting a new laptop this month! Thanks for still reading and I LOVE YOU! **


	25. Screwed

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 25: Screwed

"Sleeping beauty...wake up cow!" Neji was hitting me with pillows. "Not only do you sleep in my bed but you don't get out in the morning."

"OH HELL!" I screamed jumping up. I glanced over at Neji.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't do anything w-"

"That's not what I'm thinking about!" I threw the pillow back at him. I knew he didn't rape me. I trusted him. Besides I could've probably **_felt _**someone raping me in my sleep. I'm a deep sleeper but not that deep; if someone is doing awkward stuff I'll wake up...if you know what I mean.

I'd never thought of the problem that had just come to me Friday morning.

"Shit."

Who the hell was I going to go to the dance with? I assumed Sakura and Sasuke...Naruto and Hinata...etc. Who was left for me to go with?

I mean, I liked Neji but it would be too awkward asking him, considering that I **_know _**he's not gonna ask me. Besides...it would be awkward going with him just period. We're not the most successful when it come to getting along with people, each other specifically.

oOoOo

It was kinda in Algebra II when I realized that I was totally screwed. Asking Shikamaru for advice totally doesn't cut it either.

"I don't know." He droned. "I'm not even going."

"Shikamaru..." I raised an eyebrow. "You kinda hafta go...the plan."

Shikamaru blinked.

"I know..." he remarked. "But saying the lie out loud almost lets me believe it."

Well that was the whole motto of a good liar...

I coughed again into my sleeve. God. I must be coming down with a cold. I'd been coughing ever since the last mission. Great.

"Hinata what do I do?" I moaned. "I won't have a date!"

"If it makes you feel better...I don't either." Hinata shyly admitted.

"You don't?" I questioned.

"Naruto never asked me." She confirmed.

I sat back in my desk, tapping my Totoro pencil, staring at my Algebra II homework but not bothering to work.

"Hmm...who'd he ask then?" I wondered.

Hinata sighed.

"Sakura probably." She informed me. "But she'll reject him."

My head was starting to hurt.

"Because she's going with Sasuke right?" I suggested.

"Not exactly." Hinata continued. "Sasuke won't want to date anyone. So she'll just be left hanging."

I sighed too.

"Along with you, me and Ino at that." I added.

"Ino's got it worst of all...being kidnapped." Hinata explained. "Dances are her favorite school events."

"Probably the only ones she ever attends..." I muttered, wishing we could get her back right now instead of sitting around on our asses.

"Tenten...stop staring at your homework and do it." Asuma ordered.

"Hai."

oOoOo

Iruka was the first person to really sense my anger.

"You can't possibly play Sakura, Sakura today." He told me. "You're emotions are running too high."

I crunched my eyebrows together, wrinkling my forehead.

"I've got a good one though." Iruka added. "With your feelings right now I think you'll do a perfect job matching the mood."

I sighed, not really in the mood to do violin right now.

"It's better when an orchestra plays the piece but I've modified the piece a bit to make it more of a soloist piece." Iruka said.

I nodded.

"Alright show me."

I started to play the piece after memorizing the key and time signature and looking at all of the accidentals. It didn't seem too hard. Except for all the damn syncopation at the beginning. But as I started to play through it I started to love it. In an anguishy way. I didn't love it at the moment. At the moment I was pissed making all the songs ... pissy. Iruka looked pleased as I ran through it.

Then I got to the end. Holy shit. I made the mistake of going too fast because fuck there were a whole bunch of sixteenth notes and I was playing quarter notes really fast which means the sixteenth notes were blazingly fast.

But playing my instrument like this totally got my mind off the Devil once more for just an instant and I felt free.

Iruka's clapping brought me out of my trance.

"Your mood does really match the piece. Truly _Furiant_!" he exclaimed.

"_Furiant_, eh?" I looked at the top of the sheet. I'd gotten out of the habit of reading titles because I always misjudged pieces that way.

"Got some stuff on your mind?" Iruka asked.

You've got no idea.

"You could say that."

Iruka chuckled.

"When you get lost sometimes...music can guide you home." He advised.

I wished that was true for all cases.

oOoOo

I was at my locker, putting my stuff away when Sakura grabbed me. I jumped out of my skin nearly.

"God don't scare me!" I cried.

"Sorry...got to go!" She retorted.

"Where?" I grumbled.

"To my dorm!" Sakura replied. "You're getting ready for the dance at my dorm because you can't deal with your own hair."

"Gee thanks."

I followed her to her dorm after we picked up my dress along the way. When we were inside I dropped it 'neatly' on her bed.

Now time for the torture.

Sakura made me shower and scrub myself with Ichigo scented soap and coconut shampoo and conditioner. Then add on vanilla lotion to make my skin smoother.

"I miss my glasses." I complained.

"Don't care how cute they are or how much you want them." Sakura informed me. "You're **_not _**wearing them."

She put liquid foundation, then powder foundation on my face, making it looking flawless, with a touch of blush making me look a hell of a lot more innocent than I really was. Just saying.

Then she added a very thin line of eyeliner to the top and a ton of mascara to top and bottom lashes. It made my eyes pop.

"Damn I'm jealous." Sakura muttered. "You don't even need fake lashes to make your eyelashes look that good."

I chuckled. "And I'm the one who doesn't really care."

It's not that I didn't like myself with makeup. I'll admit that I look a ton more pretty. Come on. Whenever girls complain about hating themselves with makeup it's BS. They actually like the way they look but don't wanna admit it. The only problem is it's a hassle to put on and off etc. That's the only thing I dislike about it. To be honest, I wear makeup every day but wish I could take the time to do it like this...but I'm too stubborn to deal with my own impatience.

Sakura then forced me out of the bathrobe and towels and into the yellow dress, where I managed to slip some knives.

As a finishing touch to my makeup she added pink lip gloss. It wasn't too sparkly so I was okay with it. Of course I pretended not to be okay with it in front of Sakura.

"Just put it on and keep it was the matching purse." She grumbled.

Next was my hair.

"Let's keep your innocence." Sakura decided.

"Thank god."

Sakura pulled my long brown hair up into two perfect, high pigtails. She then took the dreadingly hot curling iron and changed the ponytails into boingy springs that I kept touching in fascination.

With a sigh of achievement, Sakura looked at me.

She forced me into gorgeous/suicidal sunshine heels, smiling.

"Done...now go leave to Satsuki's room to get your nails down while I get ready." Sakura commanded. "God knows what would happen if you tried helping."

And I saw the smile behind her order.

oOoOo

I thanked Satsuki for beautifully manicuring my grimy fingernails into a french manicure and walked back to Sakura's room.

When I opened the door my jaw dropped. She was in a long hot pink, silk dress that hugged every damn curve on her body.

"Nice rape-dress." I commented.

Sakura smacked me.

"Fine fine...sorry. Hooker dress." I corrected.

Smack.

Her hair was twisted into a side ponytail that was curled like mine. She wore similar makeup except she had the best dark pink eyeshadow.

"Ready?" She asked.

I nodded, following her out the door.

oOoOo

"Why are you bringing that hideous thing?" Sakura inquired, pointing to my mismatching book bag.

"I'm just putting it in my locker." I told Sakura. "For...you know what."

Sakura nodded.

"Right." She caught on.

Now that I thought about it, I had no idea how we were supposed to get into hell. The Devil was always wondering how I seemed to get in and so was everyone else. I hoped they weren't counting on me to help them because to be honest I always just happen to appear there. No magic trick.

We walked into the gymnasium and to be honest it was my first time ever going to the gym because I don't take gym. But it was rocking in there. It was dark with some spotlights and strobe lights. American and Japanese music going in and out. Plus a little KPOP.

Sakura spotted Hinata hanging out by the punch.

"Careful someone might've spiked it." Sakura warned her.

Hinata shrugged.

"Already checked." She was looking longingly at Naruto who was at the other side of the room.

I glanced at Sakura.

Maybe Naruto never actually asked her...

I looked to the other side of the room...saw Kiba...Sasuke...pretty much everyone else and no one had a date.

"Anyone else find something wrong with this scene?" I questioned.

"Totally." Sakura murmured. "It's boring without my bestie Ino...no offense Tenten."

"None taken."

"We'd always dance together when we didn't have dates." Sakura drawled on.

And then I saw him. Neji. He was leaning nonchalantly on the wall, watching some of the seniors dance. He was wearing his uniform but it'd never looked so handsome. Maybe I was being delusional because of the strobe lights but I missed him suddenly.

He caught me watching him though and smirked for only an instant and then it faded.

"Go and dance with him..." Sakura suggested but before she could tease me further, Naruto jumped in front of her.

She definitely knew I liked Neji...

"S-Sakura you wanna dance?" Naruto cried.

There was almost an awkward silence between us but there couldn't have been considering the loud music pumping through the speakers.

Sakura wasn't sure how to answer. She didn't want to be mean and reject him but totally ignore Hinata's feelings and ignore him. Luckily for her, Kiba came out from nowhere and grabbed Hinata's wrist.

"Fine well this one's mine." he gave Naruto a wolfish grin and I knew he was trying to save Hinata.

I was trying to contemplate whether he liked her or not but this confirmed it. Though Kiba was more of a beast than human being, he was being rather decent.

With my friends taken away, I slumped against the wall and slid to the ground.

Did I get dressed up for nothing.

I was getting ready to pull off my heels.

"Tenten."

"HOLY FUCK!" I jumped for the second time today and slapped whoever did that in the face.

"Ow."

"Well you deserve it you- fuck." Of course it was Neji.

I opened my eyes, facing my love, that he didn't know about and sighed.

"You look pretty down." He observed.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What's the point of going to the dance without a partner?" I questioned.

"I don't know...do you need one?" He asked. "I mean, considering **_your _**fucking weirdness, you wouldn't mind dancing alone would you?"

"You are so fucking right!" I exclaimed. "I don't need a fucking partner!"

I stood straight up dramatically, with my hands on my hips.

And then he smirked.

"Guess since you just had your epiphany moment I can't ask you now." Neji knew exactly what he was doing though. "Oh well...guess I just gotta-"

I hit him hard enough.

"Why...didn't ...say...first place..." I grumbled a bunch of things while I dragged his smart ass to the dance floor, just as the Cupid Shuffle came on.

Perfect. Time to challenge him.

"Can you keep up?" I challenged.

"Watch me."

_"Down down, do your dance, do your dance ..."_

He didn't know what he was getting into. I was a master at American dances. Even though the lyrics were in English, I knew what you were supposed to do. Everyone else stopped though...watching us two.

_"To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right."_

I danced playfully and quite skillfully to the right in my heels.

_"To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left._"

Now I was going to the left and I realized Neji knew exactly what to do too.

_"Now kick, now kick, now kick, now kick."_

I landed a few high kicks I learned from dance that Neji couldn't compete with.

_"Now walk it by yourself, now walk it by yourself_."

Freestyle ;)

Neji and I were both panting by the end of the Cupid Shuffle and all of our classmates were cheering...they'd joined in too some time during the song once they got the hang of the moves.

And then Leona Lewis's 'Bleeding Love' had to come on.

Neji and I glanced at each other in confusion.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me in.

"Are we slow dancing?" I asked.

He smirked.

"I don't know...are we?" such a smart ass remark and I don't even know why I loved it.

He put his right hand on my waist and his other hand in my right.

I looked at him awkwardly, holding up my left arm.

"It goes on my shoulder." Neji advised.

"I know that it's just..." I trailed off.

"Just shut the fuck up and dance." Neji muttered.

Psh. Bitchy change in attitude.

_"I don't care what they say, I'm in love you. They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth..."_

Yeah and then one of those damn irreplaceable moments happened when I looked into his unnaturally pale eyes.

_"You cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love."_

He seemed to feel it too because before I even realized it, he was leaning in and so was I.

Fuck. We just kissed.

My eyes just widened. That wasn't a stage act. It was real. And it wasn't over.

Neji's mouth moved over mine and it felt like he was eating my mouth. Both of his hands moved to my waist and both of mine to his shoulder. His tongue quickly brushed over mine and oh...I wanted more.

But then we stopped...Neji's amused face was probably the reason why. He was almost laughing.

"**_That _**was a real kiss, Panda."

I was ready to die. I wanted to buckle my knees and fall. That just sealed it. I was in love with him and there was no going back. Did this mean we were dating? Was he joking?

"Earth to Tenten..."

Neji's fucking smirk brought me back to reality. And so did all the stares from our friends.

I tried putting my arm around Neji's shoulder to shrug off the stares. It didn't really work considering he was 5'9 and I as 5'2.

"Um...we should go to work..." Chouji tried to give us sympathy but he was trying hard to not laugh.

"Well it is about time." Neji agreed.

_He's acting like nothing fucking happened!_

I glared at him the whole time while he was going through the plan. He seemed to notice too and in fact he looked amused.

Not funny.

Max was five minutes late except I was proud of his white tux that went well with his blonde hair.

He, Shikamaru, Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Neji and I were part of rescue team. Hinata, Lee and Kiba were part of the back up team once we'd infiltrated. And Chouji stayed to protect the dance.

"So...how are we getting there?" I finally asked.

And everyone burst out laughing.

"What?" I demanded. "I wanna know."

Neji pulled out a green key from his pocket and I suddenly remembered.

The first day of school...the first time I met the Devil, right before I entered the door something green fluttered past me.

"Unlock any door with this and it leads you straight to Hell." Neji informed me.

I nodded.

"Cool beans."

"More like hot beans." Shikamaru corrected. "Considering it's as hot as hell down there. If you know what I mean..."

"Yeah I get it..."

"Are we ready?" Sasuke asked, pissed at the amount of time we were taking.

"Yeah." Sakura nodded. "Let's get Ino back!"

There was a triumphant cry between us as we roamed the halls of the school, looking for a room that wasn't in use or anyone in it would be in for a surprise.

"Can you run in those?" Neji wondered, glancing at the heels.

"I'm pro at it...don't worry about it." I responded, worrying about it of course. If all else fails I'd just go barefoot.

With my book bag now, I watched Neji open a door with the green key. Naruto, Sasuke, Max, Sakura, Shikamaru and I crowded around. There were butterflies dancing in my stomach, half from the excitement of the kiss still and half for the fear of dying in hell.

But I could tell we all felt it.

Neji opened heavy door and we walked into the thick, hotness. Weapons concealed under our outfits.

"It would've been nice if Ino sent us a message about **_where _**she was." I mumbled...and then it hit me.

We were so fucking screwed.

"FUCK!" I cried, as the door slammed behind us. "We gotta get out now!"

Neji glanced at me confused.

"What are you talking about, Tenten?" he demanded, confused.

I took shaky breaths looking at my team.

"Shikamaru...Neji..." I addressed them. "Repeat what happened and what you saw in Ino's room when you realized she was kidnapped."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. He got it.

"Fuck."

And then Neji.

"Shit."

"What?" Sakura asked, still confused.

I took one more shaky breath...terrified.

"Shikamaru and Neji told me that in the room her cell phone was smashed." I closed my eyes and then opened them. "So how the **_fuck _**could she have texted us yesterday?"

The hot air seemed to thicken and there was a deadly silenced that attempted to chill the air but only sent chills through my spine.

"Damn." Sakura breathed. "It's a trap."

And we couldn't get out.

**A/N: OMG! I'm at my dad's on his computer now XD I've been up three hours writing this chappie! I like ittt how about youuu? Mmm I'm making a mission statement stating that I must buy a laptop this week or I'll diee. I can't deal with not having a computerrr! grrrr. Anyway...thanks for sticking with me. I decided to do a quick update with a longish chapter =D My brother's high school graduation was today...the dude I likes brother was graduating too and he was sitting across from us on the other side of the rink smirking at me. SO MY COUSIN GOES OVER AND TALKS TO HIM! So embarrassing...but worth it =) My bro and the dude I likesss bro are going to the same college -_- Oh goddd. Anywaysss enough of my life. Thank you to those who have still stuck with me! I love yaaa so review...question mark? :)**


	26. Live Together, Die Alone

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 26: Live Together, Die Alone

I'd never been more scared. Claustrophobic. Trapped. In such a pickle. The situation was too hard to think about. Too complicated to understand. Something that was so unlikely to the average human. And it was happening to me.

Neji didn't seemed to be fazed. I knew he must've been terrified too, but his facade remained cool.

"We have to get the message to Hinata, Kiba and Lee." He immediately spoke.

The rest of us stood there in awe, astounded he could muster the courage to speak with an even tone. To not sound as frightened as we all felt. As he felt.

It wasn't okay. The feeling of terror that was creeping up my spine wasn't okay. A 15 year old girl shouldn't have to deal with such stress...the fear of dying in hell. A 15 year old girl should be shopping with her friends or enjoying the dance, not fighting to her death.

"We have no choice now." Neji continued. "Trap or no trap. We've got to finish what we started."

Before I could protest and tell him I was terrified, his arm slid next to mine and I realized that he was slipping his hand into mine. I also started to see we were all huddling together, pressed tightly.

Except Max. He was traveling a few feet behind us. It was probably awkward for him. And I assumed he was worried about Ino.

Neji's warm, soft hand was reassuring to my shaking body and it actually calmed me...a little. I was starting to feel more human. I was starting to feel I wasn't alone. Because I wouldn't want to live together and die alone. I wanted to live together and die together.

"Troublesome..."Shikamaru murmured under his breath.

I sighed in agreement. How **_were _**we supposed to get out of this anyway? I needed to man up.

I pulled out the knife that was perfectly concealed under my dress.

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed. "How did you **_not _**cut yourself with that thing?"

My eye twitched.

"Hey...I'm not that much of a klutz." I remarked, trying for light humor which only made our situation awkward.

I pulled out my phone and put it on recording.

"Next time you say something mean...I'm gonna have it on recording!" I stuck my tongue out at him.

Neji was about to say something but a shriek...more like a screech cut him off. No, it was multiple shrieks. Like a ... flock of birds. The eeping noises were getting closer and I found my stomach clenching.

What the **_hell_** was that? Literally!

My grip on Neji's hand tightened and we all huddled closer together, glancing around us for the source of the unbearable noise that was penetrating our eardrums.

"Great..." Shikamaru and Neji growled, nearly in unison.

"What?" I demanded.

Sakura poked them. I joined.

"What is it?" We asked fearfully as the noise was getting louder and louder.

"Birds of hell." Sasuke replied for them.

Frightened, I shoved my phone back in my book bag, not caring if it was still recording.

Max cleared his throat but didn't say anything. I felt like dying as the anticipation of the birds getting closer seemed forever.

"Split up!" Shikamaru called. "It's not the best idea when it comes to fighting the Devil but when we're dealing with these guys it'll work. They can't be nearly as effective as if they're all together!"

We did as we were told. I wasn't sure how. I just followed Neji into the darkness. We seemed to divide into pairs. I wasn't sure who was with who in the dark but I did know that I was with Neji and that was a-okay.

A calmness came over me that didn't last long. It ended when I felt a peck at my neck. Instinctively I swatted at the bird but felt the blood trickle down my collarbone.

"Hurry Tenten!" Neji cried, pulling me harder. I was frightened at the fact that he knew exactly where he was going despite this hellhole being a fucking maze for mice.

"Shit." Maybe not.

We were stuck at a dead end. There was a tiny window to our right but looking at the darkness inside, I didn't want to go in.

Neji pulled out a pocket knife from his shoe and we both stood defensively. I noticed Neji was slightly in front of me. It made me happy and pissed. I knew he was worried but I had to defend myself.

There were about seven or eight birds constantly pecking and nipping at us now and cuts were starting to cover my body. I managed to slice one down but nearly fainted when it's head popped off. Apparently that's what happens when they die...Neji should've warned me.

"Dammit..." I cursed, unable to catch anymore.

Neji had got two down but he was struggling too.

There were four more and they seemed incredibly vicious...too vicious for my liking.

I was starting to get super pissed with the goddamn bird that was nibbling on my knee so I smashed my knee against the wall and the bird was no more. Not only did it's head pop off but it's guts spilled everywhere, including my knee. Ew.

It was quite difficult trying to clean my knee and defend myself against the birds.

"They're so persistent!" I complained, jerking my wrist around, trying to cut another bird up.

My pretty dress was getting ruined and I was covering in stinging cuts.

After about five minutes we finally got rid of all but one. It didn't try to fight us though. The black bird narrowed it's beady red eyes and fluttered away cuckawing unnecessarily.

"Shit." Neji muttered. "It's probably reporting back to the Devil."

I gulped.

"What does that mean?" I inquired.

"It means we need to get the hell outta here." Neji said, chewing gum. Where in hell did he get it from? When I was kissing him he surely did not have his signature gum in his mouth.

We jogged down the dark passage in which we came. I would tell you what it looked like if I actually saw it. There were only a few torches that did a poor job of lighting the way. From the way it felt on my feet it seemed we were running on stone but I couldn't be for sure.

Neji and I both bolted into a wall.

"That wasn't there before right?" I mumbled, rubbing my nose.

Neji's eyebrows knitted together.

"No...he's trapping us." He replied.

Great. I felt the fear return and prickle my spine. How were we supposed to find Ino now? We were literally trapped mice in a maze.

Then an idea popped into my head. The window...

"Go back." I told Neji.

We made a quick jog back to where we were once trapped.

I pointed at the window while my head snapped back to look at Neji, my curly pigtails bouncing.

Neji looked at it skeptically.

"We don't know what's in there..." He trailed off.

I reached into my book bag that was starting to make my shoulder ache and grabbed my trusty iPod.

"Solution." I informed him, turning it on.

In my book bag I pulled out my other preferred knife and motioned towards the small window. To be honest it was more like a hole but it much reminded me of a window being a perfect square and all.

I hiked up my dress and bowed my head forward, sticking my iPod through the window. The light barely illuminated anything, except this thing that was lurking in the corner. I couldn't tell if it was alive or not.

"Neji, there's something in there." I told him.

"What is it?" He asked impatiently, probably not comfortable with my head and hand sticking through the awkward window.

"I can't tell..." And then it started to move and shivers shook my body.

Finally as it crept forward I could see a grimy head.

And then it grabbed my pigtails.

"Fuck!"

The thing pulled me through the window and I found myself screeching at the top of my lungs, holding my pigtails as he tugged on them. The louder my screams, the more it pulled. Unfortunately I didn't get that until after.

And then he (I think it's a he) got a satisfactory *riiiip*

I watched as half my hair dropped to the floor.

Oh no he **_didn't_**. I didn't care how grimy or gross his body was I leaped at him.

He flung me around and sent me crashing into the wall. The creature picked up my iPod was dirty hands.

It was terrifying because I couldn't even make out his face. There were multiple clanking sounds though, so I could tell he was chained. The problem wasn't getting away from him because he obviously couldn't come after us in chains but it was just getting around him. He took up the whole hallway.

Neji wriggled through the window and we both charged.

No one gets away with ripping my hair and kidnapping my iPod...my lovely iPod.

We both hit the wall again and I felt more blood trickle down from my body.

My knife clattered on the floor and I picked it up with a shaking hand. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to beat him and judging by Neji's silence I didn't think that he had an idea either.

The odd humanoid was examining my iPod when I got an idea.

I pulled out my phone seeing that obviously there was no signal. Neji glanced over at me while I handed him my knife so I could work my magic.

Smirking, I pulled out my cell. I stopped the recording that was still playing.

Neji looked at me confused.

"Someone doesn't like loud noises." I murmured. "And guess what I got on recording?"

A playful smirk crossed Neji's face as we looked at the frightening creature blocking our path. We couldn't see exactly what it looked like but the reflection of my iPod was enough light to see he wasn't pretty...or happy.

His attention was on us again.

As he absent mindly pressed a button, the song_ Toxicity_ by System of a Down started playing and let's just say he didn't like the music.

_Please don't throw my iPod...don't throw my iPod._

Fuck he threw it...at me. I caught the electronic and pocketed it in my book bag.

Beastie didn't seem to like the music device much. In fact the music was driving him crazy. Sweet. A double whammy.

I pressed play on my phone and turned it on as loud as it could go. The recording of the birds played loudly and echoed wonderfully in the long corridor, driving the strange creature mad.

It screeched, cried and rolled around on the floor.

"Let's get out of here..." Neji announced.

I nodded and as we left the thing behind I stopped.

"What are you doing?" Neji questioned, confused.

I looked at the poor whimpering creature that could've even been human. It rolled around, sobbing.

Ignoring Neji's defiance I tiptoed over to it and touched it's nasty shoulder. It hissed at me but that didn't stop me from bending down. I was feeling really bad for it, lying there helplessly.

"You're trapped by the Devil too huh?" I asked, motioning towards the chain.

It whimpered in response.

I bit my lip, hoping I wasn't about to make a mistake.

Then I grabbed my knife and glared at the chain.

"Tenten..." Neji said.

I sliced the chain and the creature was now free...completely able to attack us.

It stared at my for what seemed the longest time and then it started petting my head and crying. I was so confused at the moment...what was he doing? He reached towards the ground and pulled something up, rubbing it all over my head. It was the strands and large chunks of hair he had pulled out.

Was he saying sorry?

I heard Neji sigh in the background and it brought my back to reality.

"Keep them." I told him. "As a reminder of how much you owe me." I turned around with a little wink and I heard him yelp but it seemed as if he was yelping with happiness.

"Now was that necessary?" Neji inquired.

I nodded, walking close to my partner.

"Our enemy isn't him. It's the Devil. And if that thing is against the Devil then he's on our side, right? Our enemies shouldn't be each other." I explained, feeling like a slightly better person. "If we don't live together, with everyone, then we'll die alone."

And I didn't want to die alone...ever.

* * *

**A/N: OMG! That was intense! Sorry it's a wee bit short and it took a while to update...still don't have a laptop but we're ordering this weekend! o.O Imma get the HP Envy! But yeah anyways...questions, comments...review!**


	27. Double sided

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 27: Double-sided

The farther Neji and I walked the more I was beginning to feel hot. I couldn't quite tell if it was the temperature or just my nervousness but I was sweating like mad and my clothes were starting to stick to my body. It's not like the expensive silk of the dress didn't cling to my curves anyway at the waist though. However this was the oddest feeling, being so hot but having shivers run up and down my spine like long legged spiders.

"Where are we gonna find Ino?" I wondered.

Neji sighed.

"Well...there is a simple way to find her." He remarked, turning a random corner.

I also started to wonder if he knew where he was going or was making random guesses.

"Cool..." I replied. "How?"

Neji shook his head.

"I said it was simple, not easy." He told me. "If we overtook the Devil, we wouldn't have to look for her. She'd be released."

I rolled my eyes. Just the answer I was looking for.

"Oh that's grand." I mumbled. "So how are we supposed to overtake him?"

"Well...there are many ways." Neji said, taking another turn. "They're just not easy."

"Just give me an example." I demanded, growing impatient.

"Burning him." Neji stated.

I let out a snort.

"You'd think he'd be immune to that sort of stuff considering he resides in Hell..."

Neji shrugged.

"Another way is to stab him with his own weapon." Neji said. "That would be his red trident."

Ouch. That'd hurt just a bit.

"Is there a way to get the trident?" I inquired.

"He has to take his true form." Neji explained. "Which means we must damage the current body he has. A lot."

"Oh."

There was a pause.

"Is...there another way?" I questioned.

Neji sighed again.

"There is ... one other way." He remarked.

"Which is..." I pried.

There was an awkward silence between us as we walked. Neji seemed reluctant to tell me what it was.

"To drown him. In the river of Styx." He finally let out.

My grip on my book bag tightened. No wonder he didn't want to tell me.

"What's the Styx river?" I asked quietly.

Neji bit his lip.

"The river that runs through Hell." He answered. "To say you need to be a strong swimmer to survive is ... an understatement."

I blinked.

"Why?"

We turned another confusing corner.

"First thing," Neji explained. "It's completely black. You can't see a thing once you go in. Second, there are dead things in it. Dead people. Their souls stay in the river once they've drowned. They stay and make surviving the river even harder for the next person who takes a dip."

"Why would anyone want to?" I demanded. "That's crazy!"

Neji chuckled.

"It gives great power, some say." He told me. "Unbelievable power. But I don't know anyone who's survived it."

"Wow." It was all I could say. I was still new to the world of the Devil. This frightening atmosphere was only introduced to me three months ago and I still find myself unable to wrap my mind around the incomprehensible things that always seemed to go on.

"So..." I continued. "How are we gonna find the Devil?"

Neji clicked his tongue.

"Now there's the question I've been waiting for." He informed me. "I've come up with an idea. He already **_clearly_** knows we're here. And he knows exactly what we're here to do. So he's not going to come after us unless we find Ino...or...piss him off to an extreme level."

"Which is what we plan to do." I cut in. "Wonderful. How?"

Neji started to smirk.

"Well, we've already started, thanks to you." He told me. "Freeing that beast back there."

I nodded, agreeing.

"So what we're going to do now is do as much destruction as possible." Neji took out his signature knife and started cutting the walls as he walked by. I kind of figured he still meant something else when he said 'destruction'.

A few minutes of silence passed and then we reached a window.

"Finally." Neji announced, blowing a bubble.

We stopped at the window and I peered in. There was something breathing in there. It was a live human. I couldn't quite see the face but it for sure wasn't a beast like the last time.

Neji put his knife between the stones, cutting away the glue carefully and finally the stone brick was free. Neji pulled it away from the wall.

"Who's there?" A voice demanded.

The human stepped through the window and a red-headed girl stepped through. She adjusted a pair of grimy glasses and squinted.

"Karin!" Neji exclaimed.

"Neji?" She crawled through the tiny space my partner created and jumped through it, dusting her pants.

"So this is where you were..." Neji mumbled.

She scoffed.

"Thanks for saving me." Was her reply. "I thought when the Devil requested me for a meeting he'd just be giving me another mission. Ne-ope!" Karin shook her head. "He locked me up."

"Sorry." Neji shook his head. " I should've known. I would've come to rescue you. We thought you ran away."

Karin rolled her eyes and I blinked in confusion. Just who was she?

"I'm not that much of a baby." Karin explained. "I had healed the person I was supposed to assassinate." She then held up her arm, showing a bite mark as if that was supposed to explain something to us. "Obviously **_he _**found out about it and locked me up."

"Do you know where Suigtsu is then?" Neji questioned. "He disappeared around the same time as you..."

Karin sighed as if the name of the new person of topic made her want to hurl.

"Yeah I think. He was the jackass who convinced me to heal the target of assassination." Karin mumbled.

Neji clicked his tongue.

"Karin we'll have to catch up later. Right now it-"

Karin cut off Neji.

"Who's she?" She pointed at me.

"My new partner..." Neji informed her.

Karin raised her eyebrows and she seemed to almost smile.

"Is she the reason you've lost that cold, drawling look in your eye since I last saw you?" Karin wondered, placing her hands on her hips.

I stood there, confused as ever and Neji seemed to twitch at her statement.

"Don't know what you're talking about." He said, obviously knowing **_exactly _**what she was talking about. "Anyway, we've got something important going on right now. I'll explain later but you need to walk in the opposite direction and free as many prisoners as possible."

Karin sighed. flipping her bright red hair, sniffing.

"Yeah well it's not like the Devil can hate me anymore." She turned and waved in the opposite direction. Looking at me before she turned, she said, "Nice smell."

Then the girl walked away.

Neji strutted forward, causing me to jog to keep up. He didn't make me ask.

"That was Karin." He informed me. "She disappeared around Christmas time, along with her partner Suigestu. She has a special power that heals people, however, it can only work if the victim bites her."

Well that explained quite a bit...

"And she has a... great sense of smell."

Everything covered.

We continued to walk and it wasn't long before we reached another prison cell. It turned out to be Suigetsu's. Once Neji freed the brick a teen wriggled out the window and began to stretch.

"Who's the chick?" He asked.

"My new partner." Neji remarked.

Suigestu raised his eyebrows suggestively and Neji just rolled his eyes in reply.

Suigetsu sighed, shaking his head.

"Anyway, it took long enough to rescue me." He said.

"Well I didn't even know you and Karin were taken captive." Neji answered.

"Did you rescue her too?" Suigestu immediately asked.

Neji nodded.

"Not like I cared or anything." He quickly added.

"Well seeing you're so worried." Neji continued. "You can go follow her. She walked that way. She's freeing as many prisoners as possible. I'll explain later but just keep going."

Suigestu shrugged.

"Whatever. I can't get in any more deep shit."

I let out a snort.

"What?" Suigestu questioned, looking at me.

"Karin said the same thing pretty much." I informed him.

Neji, getting annoyed with the waiting, grabbed my shoulders and we separated ourselves from Suigestu.

The more we continued to walk and free prisoners, I felt more anxiety weighing down on me. I was getting so anxious to defeat the Devil that my feet were shuffling quickly and I felt myself unable to sit still.

My hand slipped into Neji's once more and my heart rate slowed to a more human-like pace.

_Boom!_

There was a noise that made my ears pop and a thundering cry made my ears nearly bleed.

The evil, sexy figure of the Hispanic Devil appeared before us and we thought he would look as pissed as he sounded when he cried as he came crashing down right before us but his facade looked calm, despite his earth quaking approach. Or should I say hell quaking?

"You two have been very naughty, haven't you?" His face was sending chills through my spine as he looked at Neji and my hands. "More than friends are we?" He wondered.

I thought Neji wouldn't want to be seen like this so I tried to release my hand from his but he held on tightly. Biting my lip, I stared at the Devil, but not in his eyes.

When the Devil realized Neji and weren't speaking to him He continued to talk.

"What should we do to two **_naughty _**children?" He pondered in his thick accent. "Punish them." He walked around us now and the room was starting to feel colder despite the warm temperature.

I was so scared that I hardly noticed the tear slide down my cheek from my left eye. I was the best liar that I knew besides Neji but I knew I couldn't lie to myself that everything was going to be okay now.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said with a sudden courage looking into his eyes finally and boring my wishes into them. Believe the lie...believe the lie. Know it. Know it.

The Devil shuddered for an instant then shook his head.

"I forgot how great you are at lying." He told me, getting to close to my face for my liking. "But you can't lie to **_me_**."

And with that He hit me across the face with the back of his hand. Neji flinched and his hand gripped mine even tighter and he looked for an instant that he wanted to strangle the Devil, but didn't we all?

Then there was an enormous amount of pain shot through my spine and into my brain. My hand broke away from Neji's and I rolled onto the ground. It was a familiar feeling, a pain that had been felt before but intensified by a hundred. This was worse than the last time. Painful memories, **_fake _**memories flooded through my brain and my head felt like it was ready to explode. I knew it wasn't real but it was such a deep, thorough lie that it was hard to deny in my brain. And oh the headache it was giving me.

I felt like my head was shattering.

"S-S-Stop!" I shrieked. "STOP!"

I begged and begged because there was no way I was going to be able to stop it this time. The lie...I couldn't prove it wrong. The Devil had planted something so horrible and painful in my head and I couldn't uncover it and expose it.

Not real...not real...

As much as I told myself that I knew it couldn't be true.

Then there was such a sudden shock that went through me that it looked like the fake things in my mind broke like glass. A familiar taste of mint on my lips woke me straight up. A tongue caressing mine...

My eyes snapped open and Neji was giving all his energy into kissing me that I felt the need to kiss back and forget the Devil, watching us like we were just his pawns that he didn't mind to sacrifice in order to take check the king in the end.

But then the moment ended too quickly as Neji pulled me back, barely letting the Devil's fist miss my face.

"Hmm...so we are more than friends." The Devil commented. "Perfect. I'll only have to kill **_one _**of you and I've killed two birds with one stone."

I tried to pretend I didn't understand exactly what he was talking about but I knew it.

"Shut the fuck up." Neji growled, cocking his head to the side, furthering his pissed expression.

"Such language." The Devil said. "Bad boy."

Neji looked over at me and judging by the look in his eyes, I figured out our simple plan that had always worked for other assassinations.

I set my book bag down on the ground and cracked my ankles that were getting sore in my heels. Then I raised my knife and charged at the Devil. Of course my attack on him was only a distraction so Neji could deliver the quick blow from a distance while the Devil blocked my attack. It was a very simple, overused technique but still pretty effective so we decided to give it a try.

When I lunged my knife forward to the Devil, he reached for my wrist and threw me with great strength into the wall, causing the ceiling to rumble. Shit. The blocks started falling like crazy. The Devil knew exactly what he was doing.

Neji dove in to save me from the falling rock, instead of delivering a critical blow to the Devil. He scooped me up bridal style and slid across the damp hallway to the other side, clear from any rocks or debris.

The Devil nodded.

"Just as I thought." He confirmed with a smirk. "You're not gonna let her die on your watch."

Neji just ignored the Devil's comment and tried to attack from above while I went from below. The Devil dodged Neji's attack, barely, and immediately went for me, obviously liking the idea of making Neji work harder and having him worry.

I blocked the Devil's fast fist with my knife, cutting him pretty deeply.

"I can stand my own ground."I growled at him. "You weren't expecting Neji to come and save me were you? Gee sorry I counterattacked."

The Devil didn't seem to like the fact I could have comebacks.

He leaped at me and I swiftly jumped, allowing Neji to slice his arm. I jumped away, landing next to Neji.

"Why isn't he doing what he just did to me a while ago?" I asked my partner, referring the the mind trick the Devil oh-so-enjoyed pulling on me.

"Too much work." Neji replied. "Besides, we've got an antidote for that don't we?"

I was probably the only one in the world who was able to catch the smirk he had flashed so quickly at that moment.

The Devil licked his wound on his hand and his arm.

"I've got an idea on how to get him in his other form." Neji whispered in my ear. "Just run and tackle him and I'll take care of the rest."

I charged towards the Devil who seemed to ready himself for an attack with my knife but I jumped on top of Him trying to keep His knife away from my face. We struggled around and He was winning. He was now on top of me, choking me but I made sure that His wrists were in my grip so He couldn't move as Neji reared up behind us.

The Devil was focused on finishing me off He didn't realize Neji's knife close to His ankle. Neji's blade touched it barely and the Devil was about to realize.

"Close your eyes!" Neji cried just as I saw him dig the knife into the Devil's Achilles tendon.

I squeezed my eyes shut just in time to hear the Devil scream and a snapping sound to resonate along the walls. He rolled off of me and screamed.

Neji picked me up, explaining, "Without His Achilles tendon He won't be able to walk. He'll **_have _**to change forms."

As if on cue, in a flash of light, the Devil changed. And what He turned into was probably the most ugly thing I'd ever seen.

He was tall, yellow and red, with horns, a big belly and thin thighs. Too many teeth to count, with a writhing tongue snaking through them. He had large eyes with tiny iris's and pupils and fingernails that were thick and four inches long. His hands and feet resembled claws of some sort of beast. He looked so un-human.

Behind him was a blood red trident that he picked up roughly, tilting his head to the side. It was frighteningly sharp and _**double **_bladed. A sharp end on the opposite side of the three-pronged part.

My hand flew over my mouth and I turned to the side and puked. Neji grabbed my short hair quickly and kept it out of my dinner that was coming back up through my throat. I didn't know what had come over me but a sickness stirred inside suddenly.

I wiped my mouth with a Kleenex from my book bag and heard a laugh escape the Devil. It was high-pitched and quick. Very frightening.

A wave of nausea still overcoming my body, I leaned against Neji, trying to prepare myself for the Devil.

I picked up my knife and Neji let me stand on my own.

"Oh Tenten, don't be scared..." His voice was so high pitched but still like a man's that I wanted to cry. How could something so sinister and insidious be possible?

I suddenly launched myself at him, feeling the need to rip out his voice box. The hand that wasn't clutched on His trident came out and swiped at me. Three of his long nails scratched my face.

The pain wasn't enough to stop my blade from plunging into his beady pupil. I knew that my blade couldn't kill him but making him half blind was something I **_could _**do.

While he was distracted with the pain and slight blindness Neji came and slashed at his knees. However he took the opportunity to grab Neji's neck and toss him aside.

Neji coughed on the ground in agony. I was almost tempted to go and help him but he gave me a look that told me not to.

Licking my lips, I glanced back at the Devil, who was holding the trident opposite of His blind eye. I raised my bloody knife again and examined it, using it as a mirror.

There was a rock hanging from the ceiling that had partially collapsed and I saw it, developing a plan in my head.

Using a fallen rock as a stepping stone, I leaped up there and heaved myself on top of the large rock, looking downward. Then I started throwing rocks down at the Devil, trying to get His attention. He turned His remaining attention at me and gave a shrieking laugh again.

His trident was the only weapon that would be able to reach me from this distance.

He stood and tried to strike me with it and I immediately grabbed onto the neck of it and felt a burning sensation in my fingertips. It became extremely painful so I let go.

"Have fun holding it." The Devil said with another shrieking laugh.

I gulped staring at him, knowing I was in a pickle now. I closed my eyes and reopened them. Bound and determined.

He lunged the trident at me again. I grabbed it and this time I didn't let go. The burning hurt so much. I saw steam rising from my hands and the Devil was realizing that this time I was serious.

He tried to pull back but I continued to grab it, which made holding it even more painful.

"Agh!" I screeched, the burning becoming unbearable.

Distracted by the amount of pain, I lost my balance, falling off the high rock. Luckily enough the force of gravity was just enough to pry the weapon from the Devil's hands.

When I hit the ground hard on my shoulder, an explosion of pain shot through my arm and the trident clambered to the ground where Neji swooped in and picked it up, wincing from the burning.

Just as he was going to stab the Devil and attack, my knife was ripped from where I had concealed it and was forced against my neck. Cold hands pressed me against an oily body.

The Devil held the knife up and pressed it harder onto my neck. Blood trickled down.

"Give me that back." The Devil ordered. "Or I will **_cut _**her throat and you know I will."

I never thought I would wish that the Devil looked Hispanic because I would much rather have a humanoid figure holding me.

Neji's hand was shaking from the hotness of the weapon. He wasn't eager to put it down but he was eying my neck and the fear in my watering eyes. I was trying to not show how terrified I was at the moment but it was just so hard.

So Neji slowly started to bring the weapon to the ground when we started to hear a thudding in the distance getting closer and closer. Suddenly there was a jerk on the lower half of my body and two bony arms freed me of the Devil.

I looked up, opening my eyes, to see that the creature that we first rescued was cuddling me close to his body. Glancing around I saw Neji blinking, stunned.

The Devil was raging.

"Why...you...you traitor! You mutt! You fucking little-"

He was cut off. Neji shoved the knife into the Devil's heart. Blood spluttered from the Devil's mouth and He gripped his blade in agony.

"My own goddamn blade." He muttered.

Neji's face was stern and I felt a sudden relief flood my heart.

Then the Devil chuckled.

"If I'm dying..." He said. "Then you're coming with me!"

Still gripping the weapon, the Devil pushed the other side straight through Neji's body, spearing him in the heart.

* * *

**A/N: OMG I'M SORRY! I forgot to tell you guys I was going on vacation! Yesh I saw my cousins and it was a grand time because...well if you read my other stories you know how it is with my and my psychotic cousins *heart* anyway so I was gone a while. I tried writing the chapter on my dad's iPhone but that didn't turn out too well. But yeah when I got back from vacation my mom took us up to the cabin for the weekend so I still couldn't wrtie. Buuuuut I'm sorrrrryyy I left you with such a TERRIBLE cliffhanger! I was gonna continue on and not end it right there but I stopped for two reasons: the chapter was getting incredibly long and it had to be split. also it's currently 1:30 AM so I gotta sleep. So I love you, review and don't hate mehhh! X.X**


	28. Love Song Requiem

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 28: Love Song Requiem

"Neji..." I didn't even know how his name could escape my lips. The sound seemed to be stuck in my throat. There was a lump growing in it and I was feeling my eyes water, tears dropping uncontrollably. I tried to resist the feeling of shock and attempted to move my body.

The Devil's high cackle rang in my ears and I started to shake as He coughed up blood, spluttering it over Neji's perfectly pale face.

"T-Tenten." Neji barely let the words out as he spit his gum on the ground.

Instinctively I sprinted out, diving on my knees to catch Neji as he fell, the end of the trident still deep into his chest.

"Hey I'm here!" I shrieked. "Stay with me!"

Neji bit his lip as his eyes started rolling to the back of his head.

"It's o-okay." He gruffly explained to me but I refused to believe it.

My heart was racing a million miles an hour and it felt like the world was crashing down on me, harder than the ceiling that had almost crushed me once. But this time the pain was inside and not hurting my physical body but my mind.

"No Neji!" I argued. "Please don't go away! Don't leave me!"

More blood oozed out of his mouth and I felt trapped. I was in love with him and he was dying. Why? Why did it have to be like this?

I was about to say something to him, beg him to stay with me but there was a sudden explosion that knocked me off my feet so now I was cradling Neji's head in my lap.

Glancing around, impatiently waiting for the smoke to clear, I realized the Devil had just blown up, taking with him half the wall.

Just as I could start to see again I began to hear a noise...running water. Clearly, now in front of me, was a river that was behind the wall that was blown to smithereens. It was black.

My eyes widened. River Styx. The sight of the water sent shivers through my spine and began to stroke Neji's hair.

His breathing was very ragged and his eyes kept rolling up.

"Please stay...stay with me..." I sobbed, cupping Neji's face, kissing it everywhere.

Neji shook his head. He knew what was going to happen.

"As long as I s-saved-" He coughed loudly. "You...it's okay."

I bit my bottom lip so hard it bled profusely and shook my head.

"You're the only person I've ever ... loved." Neji's pale eyes widened.

"Wait!" I screamed.

His throat quivered and his body in my arms went limp.

"I love you too..." I whispered. But it was too late.

I knew deep down he was gone but I refused to except it. He was mine. The first boy who could've been my boyfriend and the first person who knew me well and understood me, unafraid to give me feedback.

"No!" I screeched so loud that I couldn't hear the running water anymore. "No! No! No! Come back!"

What do I do? What? He can't be gone. He can't be. Everything was crashing down.

"_Are we too late? Do not we have a chance?_" The words left my mouth and I realized I was singing.

"_What should I do? Even now, I live these painful days because of what you said_  
_Tell me if this is a bad thing to do_."

And then I stopped singing suddenly. I still had a chance.

I lowered my forehead and pressed it against his, closing my eyes. And then it happened.

Blinking again, I awoke in someplace different. Deeper Hell. Voices screeched familiarly.

"HELP!"

"SAVE ME!"

"MAKE IT STOP!"

"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!"

I knew who that voice belonged to.

"Neji!" I bellowed over the other voices.

I took the next turn and tried to weave my way through the screaming people reaching out of cells. It was scarring looking at all of their injuries and dead faces, with voices begging for me to save them from their pain.

I spotted Neji struggling to push a dead man off him.

"NEJI!" I yelled even louder, feeling my heart rate quicken. This was my chance. I had to do it!

He turned and spotted me, blinking.

"Tenten!" He cried. "You have to save yourself! You could die!"

Tears drowned my eyes as I watched him try to maneuver around the dead people to get closer to me.

"Goddammit Neji!" I screeched over the shrieks of the other people. "I LOVE YOU! AND I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!"

Neji stopped moving and stared at me, eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He mumbled something that looked like 'unbelievable' but with all the noise around me, I couldn't possibly hear it.

"GRAB MY HAND!"

I didn't care how doomed I was. I was gonna try. Neji was **_mine_** and I wasn't going to let him stay dead on my watch.

Tightening my muscles, I shot my burnt and blistered hand through the thick barrier between the living and dead.

Neji's cold, unalive hand, gripped it and I felt the energy draining from my body as I tried to pull him through the impossibly thick and invisible wall that has separated us.

Half of Neji's body was already through when something started tugging on him. I figured it was a jealous dead person but it turned out to be the fucking Devil. Shit. I forgot he died.

"You're not going anywhere!" He hissed.

Well at least he was in his Hispanic form.

The Devil then bit my wrist and I screamed loudly. I didn't know if he had venom in his teeth or something but the pain was intensified and was much more agonizing than a regular bite should have been.

Neji's bloody chest moved up and down as he panted heavily, trying to free my wrist of the Devil's mouth.

My entire body shook and I thought I was going into shock when I looked the Devil in the eye and spit on the ground.

"Not today bitch." I hissed, shoving my foot through the clear wall, kicking the Devil in the face.

Even with one foot in and an unsteady balance, I managed to tug Neji through the barrier, leaving a heel mark on the Devil's cheek.

I collapsed back onto the ground where I was once before I saved Neji and the trident in his chest disappeared. Relief filled me as he started to breathe once more.

"N-Neji!" I shook him awake and his eyes fluttered open, hitting me with a shock as he sat up.

His eyes...his eyes. They looked cold as stone and for a fleeting second I wondered if he was still dead. But he couldn't have been because I just saved him and he was clearly moving.

But his eyes...

"Neji!" I exclaimed. "You're okay!"

My body was so tired from using my reviving power it was impossible to move, yet I did.

I wrapped my arms around him, relieved to be close to his moving chest but it felt wrong for some reason.

"Get the fuck off of me."

My eyes widened and I quickly moved, the river swishing in the background.

"Neji?" I wondered. "What's wrong?"

He blinked darkly.

"Who the hell are you?" He mumbled. "And why am I here?"

It hit me so hard. He didn't remember me. I knew that he would never pull such a prank but he had to be joking.

"We're partners!" I cried. "You don't remember?"

Neji glanced around at the scene and looked at our burned hands and the predicament of the environment we were in. He saw the creature we had saved earlier, whimpering in the corner but didn't recognize him.

"I don't know you." He growled. "So don't act like we're close."

A shiver shot through my body. How? How was this possible? He didn't...remember...HOW?

A tear rolled down my cheek as I stood up, with great effort.

"How could you...not remember?" I question, backing up, touching my lips, imagining his touch, forcing myself to move my immobile muscles.

Amnesia? Shock? What was wrong with him?

"I just don't know you." He argued. "Go...just leave me you idiot."

A tear fell from my puffy eyes as I backed up farther, hearing the rushing river.

"How could you...?" I mumbled, taking another slow step back towards the water.

Neji's cold stare continued to look at me in disgust.

I brought my foot up and took of one heel and discarded it on the floor, still staring at Neji with water in my eyes. After another lethargic step back, I took of another heel. One more back.

My heels were now touching the edge of the black river and I felt the world rushing around me. I confessed all my secrets to Neji. He was the one who knew the most about, almost more than my own mother.

"You don't remember." I whispered, a tear sliding down my cheek.

And then I took one more step and into the black water, back first.

The moment my almost bear body hit the liquid something pulled me under, so fast I didn't have time to scream. It was such a pain, feeling the breath escape my lungs and not be able to return. It was probably the worst part, not being able to breathe.

Multiple hands kept pulling me under and the fear of not being able to swim was increased. I found it hard to swim when it was an open pool and nothing else was in it but now there were things yanking me under.

Wrapping my arms around my chest, a minute passed of agony and struggling to breathe. I was preparing myself to die. If Neji didn't remember, what was the point of risking my life to save him. If this is what he wanted in the end. Then I'll have to let it be.

I couldn't save myself anyway. My body was so exhausted after reviving Neji, there was no way I could swim now.

Oh but I didn't want to die. I wanted to live and become someone important in life, but as I sat here at the bottom of blackness with death's door in front of me I wondered what good could a person do if they couldn't even swim?

What do I do?

Almost two minutes passed and I figured I must be dead now. But it takes 6 minutes to die. I didn't want it. I wanted to live.

But my eyes disagreed with me. They started to close and blackness was surrounding me once more and I felt my head spin a hundred miles an hour.

There was a sudden jerk in my chest and I knew it was my death. I knew it was what death must've felt like. The water around me seemed to move and the dead people around me screeched ferociously ... in triumph?

Then it felt like something kicked me...wind? No it wasn't wind it was air. That pressure in my chest and waist continued to move as I felt myself hit something hard. Was it the cell in hell?

Inside my chest there seemed to be a relief. Death wasn't so bad. It didn't hurt after you died.

And then something crashed onto my lips. I could feel it but I was unable to move. The pressure in my chest increased and it came in beats. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3.

Then suddenly a stream of light burst through my lids as I opened them and my forehead was tickled by something soft...hair.

Pale eyes stared into mine and they were soft. A small tear slid out of the left eye, rolling down the cheek.

I coughed up probably a gallon of water, holding on to someone's hands. My throat dry, raw and aching.

"Panda...you idiot."

Neji wrapped his arms around my head and pulled me into his chest as it moved up and down, steadily breathing.

"Y-You...remember..." I rasped.

"I'm sorry." He told me. "I'm so sorry. Being through hell and back can give you amnesia." He shook his head. "I was lucky enough to come back. No one ever does." He explained. "I don't why but seeing you drown triggered something."

My breath was so shaky that I didn't know what to feel.

"You're such an idiot yet you saved me from...everything." Neji mumbled. "Thank you..."

I sniffled.

"I...was so scared when I saw that spear stab you in the chest." I informed him.

Neji shook his head again.

"Just stop." He murmured, turning our hug into him pulling me in his lap.

I wondered if we were gonna be super powerful, surviving the river and all, but I didn't feel like I was super powerful.

I'd never seen Neji so ... kind and loving before. He was acting like such a human being.

My hands hurt, my body ached, every scratch on me seemed to intensify in pain but I felt that this was my favorite moment of my life. With Neji. Right now it seemed like neither of our injuries mattered. We were here together.

We stayed for a few minutes like that until there was tons of shouting.

"Help us!"

Neji and I moved to see people's shadows running down the dark hallway. It was our friends. Max cradled Ino in his arms while Sasuke led the way. Sakura and Naruto attempted to keep her awake.

She looked terrible. A bloody mess. Wounds everywhere. She almost wasn't recognizable.

I covered my mouth in horror, and tried to hold down the bile in my throat again.

"Where's Shikamaru?" Neji demanded.

"Getting back up!" Sakura cried. "He's got an idea."

"Thank god we found you guys!" Naruto exclaimed. "What happened?"

"H-He's gone!" I rasped again, shivering as my short hair clung to my neck, my silk dress soaked.

Sasuke glanced at the two of us.

"I don't believe it." He muttered. "You didn't."

Neji nodded.

"You took a dip in Styx!" Naruto cried. "And who's gone?"

Neji moved me off his lap.

"The Devil. We killed him." He explained.

"Neji died." I butted in. "But I saved him."

"And then you went for a swim?" Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Focus!" Max ordered, cupping Ino's face. "She's dying dammit!"

I narrowed my eyes.

"We needed to find you." Sakura quickly explained. "Just in case Ino dies, Tenten might be able to bring her back."

Neji's eyebrows furrowed.

"Saving more than one person in a day is impossible!" He argued. "She can barely walk!"

"Not to mention the river." I muttered. I didn't want to be a total ass saying I wouldn't save Ino if she died, I just didn't really think that I could.

"So what are we gonna do?" Max questioned.

"We wait for Shika-" Sasuke was cut off.

"I heard you guys are in a situation." The voice was strangely familiar, like I'd heard it a few times before...

And then there she was, like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, Tsunade appeared, the rest of our friends behind her, with her hands on her hips.

"What a scene." She commented.

You have no idea.

* * *

**A/N: HEY! I updated again! Yesh I did this morning because I didn't want to leave you with such a mean cliffie and I was originally gonna write this chapter in the previous chapter before. In case you wanted to know about the song used in the middle it was 'what do i do' by jisun. it's granddd so look it up and then the chapter was named after 'love song requiem' by trading yesterday which is also great so look that up too. Thaaanks for readin the chapter and review pleeaaasee =D**


	29. Without You

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 29: Without You

"What's with her?" I asked in frustration, looking at my dying friend, knowing I would be unable to help her.

"It's just small wounds..." Tsunade remarked. "Everywhere." Her eyebrows closed together, knitted tightly as she examined further.

We all crowded around. But with one look from Tsunade, we stepped back again, giving Ino and her some air. From a distance we watched as Tsunade lifted Ino's arms then set them back down and continued to do so with each of Ino's limbs.

I didn't even realize that Neji and I were holding hands, it seemed instinct almost.

Tsunade cracked her neck suddenly and closed her eyes, putting her hands over Ino's chest. A faint light escaped her fingertips and it took me a while to see that all of Ino's wounds were slowly healing and closing up.

"Sugoi..." I mumbled. "She can heal..."

"Not exactly." Neji replied. "She can soothe people's Devil's...almost manipulate them to help their host's body."

I blinked.

"Do our Devil's hate us?" I wondered, watching the wounds fade from Ino's body.

A small smirk came from Neji's tight lips.

"Not yours."

That was all he said and didn't elaborate.

I couldn't help but shiver. Though we were in hell and it should've been hot like it was before, I was soaked, therefore cold. The water wasn't exactly evaporating which would make you think I'd still be warm. Because when water evaporates, heat leaves your body, making you cold. But it seemed the instead of a layer of warmth, the black water that had soaked me was forever cold.

Max was still next to Tsunade, refused to move when she told him. He was holding her hand. I'd never seen him look so vulnerable. I mean there were only a few times I **_had _**seen him but he always had that sly, confident smirk on his face or he was cracking cold, cynical jokes. But now his perfect blonde hair was dirty as he leaned over Ino, with watering eyes.

Suddenly Ino's eyes fluttered open and she started to cough up blood.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Shit. Internal bleeding too." She hissed.

"Hey," Max said stroking her cheek. "Ino..."

"M-M-Max." It was actually hard to hear her say 'Max' it was so broken up, quiet and raspy that if I didn't know she was talking to Max, I never would've figured her saying it.

Max shook his head.

"Don't die on me...please don't die on me..." His voice quivered. "I won't be okay without you."

"You left." Ino rasped, coughing at Tsunade's new attempt to heal her wounds.

"I was watching you though..." Max answered. "I never left you...just the school!"

As I stared at them I felt my eyes water and before I knew it, I had tears streaming from my tear ducts, but no sound escaped my lips. In fact, my whole face had the same look, unmoving but tears still fell from my eyes uncontrollably.

Neji just looked over at me, almost in confusion but he understood my pain.

There was a silence. A very odd one. In fact I found myself becoming uncomfortable as I watched Tsunade work on Ino. Maybe it was admiration for the big breasted woman...I couldn't tell but everyone seemed to feel it, speechless.

Max seemed to be in a sort of trance, comforting Ino as silently as he could.

I didn't even realize myself fall into a slumber.

oOoOo

Warm. It's really warm.

I awoke and realized I was warm again. The darkness surrounding me suggested that I was still in hell. Grand. Glancing around, I realized that I was in between something. Someone's legs. It didn't take long for me to figure out that they were Neji's, who was slumped on a wall.

It was odd because I remembered him jumping into the river too. He should've been wet but then I realized I was dry also.

"What..." I mumbled.

Neji opened one of his lazy eyes and replied shortly, "Tsunade."

I just nodded, laying back down on his chest and resting my elbow on his right knees. That's when I saw Ino laying against a wall. I was about to panic, thinking she was dead but her chest moving up and down proved otherwise.

"Ne..." I managed to ask with a raspy voice, still sore from the swim. "Where is everyone?"

"Freeing prisoners." Neji remarked, nearly aggravated for me disrupting his peace.

I just curled my lip, snarling.

"I see how it is." I grumbled at Neji.

He pulled me by the waist against him and I could feel him smirk against my neck. He really was enjoying this wasn't he?

Before I could reply, something nudged my bare ankle. I jerked, realizing it was the creature from before, that had ripped half my hair out.

"Y-You..." I stuttered.

It whimpered, touched my shoulders where my hair now met.

"It's o-okay." I laughed. "Don't get so worked up over it."

He still whined like a puppy. Neji just watched it with pale, observing eyes.

The creature squatted next to Neji and just...stayed there.

It seemed to be relaxing almost.

oOoOo

"Hey guys!" Kiba shook my shoulder awake again. "It's time to go back up! All the prisoners are free."

I rolled my head off Neji's shoudler.

"Where is everyone?" I mumbled.

"They're back at the dance." Kiba answered.

I tilted my head to the side.

"What time is it?" I wondered, fumbling around for my book bag.

"Almost midnight." Kiba continued.

Neji and I both shot straight up.

"Why is the dance still going on?" I cried.

Kiba chuckled.

"Well..." He said. "You should see what happened."

Neji and I exchanged glances and then gathered our things. I was in deep wonder, trying to contemplate the complicated words Kiba bestowed upon us. He wasn't leaving my mind much leisure. Was it good or bad, what had happened.

I woke up the creature that was sleeping next to us.

"**_He's _**coming with?" Kiba stammered.

I nodded, feeling protective of my creature friend.

"He was a victim of the Devil too." I informed Kiba, who was reluctant to welcome our new companion.

Kiba looked at Neji for support but Neji gave him the 'just go with it' look.

"So how do we get out?" I asked Kiba, as we walked through the long corridors.

"Tsunade made an opening." Kiba remarked with a wink.

I twitched. For some reason I had a feeling you didn't want to piss that woman off.

"So how did Tsunade know about the trouble?" I questioned, confused about what had all happened.

"Max found Ino. So he teleported out of hell to find Tsunade."

"Shit. I forgot." I grumbled. "About Max's special power."

Neji chuckled.

"When you thought we were all screwed hours ago," He said. "Max wasn't. He could get out of hell. Just probably not back in but with Tsunade...well she can almost do anything."

I blinked as we continued to walk.

"So when did the rescue team come?" I asked Kiba. "Like...did our plan work?"

Kiba let a laugh escape his lips as we turned left.

"No...and you'll see why when we get back to the school."

We walked through hell for another 20 minutes until we reached something that resembled a hole. A big...black...hole. It seemed to be sucking us in too. But I knew it obviously wasn't a real black hole because that was logically impossible and we'd be dead.

"Jump in..." Kiba said.

I frowned.

"Don't wanna..." I whispered.

Before I could protest, Neji scooped me up and tossed me into it **_and _**before I could get pissed at him, there was a tugging sensation...everywhere. It grabbed at my arms, legs, head...it felt like I was being stretched into taffy.

Then before I knew it, I was back in the school. In a janitors closet to be exact. Neji and Kiba, nor my creature friend, were in sight.

I struggled out of the closet and crawled through the door into the hallway, where there were numerous, colorful red decorations.

Standing up, I began to walk. Then I stepped in something sticky.

"Shit..." I mumbled annoyed, looking down. My eyes nearly popped. I just soiled the bottom of my heels in a pool of blood. Fear filled my body for two reasons. 1: I stained a nice pair of heels and 2: Someone got seriously hurt.

Reaching into my book bag, which had been shaken up in the hole, to find my glasses. The hallway was much clearer and I noticed that the decorations all over the lockers way away down the hall were actually blood stains.

"Fuck." I cursed again. "What happened?"

I sprinted down the hall in my heels and torn dress, stopping sharply when I got to the gym. Gasping, I saw my class cleaning up blood and destroyed decorations. Everyone's nice and fancy clothes were stained in blood also and there was a look in their eyes that frightened me. They were in total shock, completely terrified.

What the hell happened? Or the real question is what in the devil's name happened?

Shivering I finally spotted a familiar face, Sakura.

"Sakura-chan!" I shrieked, screaming as I ran up to her, embracing her in a hug.

"Hey..." She said halfheartedly but returning the hug.

"What happened?" I demanded, looking around as Kiba and Neji entered the gym.

"The Devil...sent his minions." Sakura said, letting go, pointing to everyone in the gym. Teachers were everywhere, barking orders, distraught. I wondered if they knew...

"Where's Ino?" I inquired.

"The infirmary." Sakura answered. "Shikamaru, Max and Chouji are with her."

I bit my lip, spotting Naruto carrying a girl's body over to the infirmary.

Another tear left my eye tonight.

Lee took the girl from Naruto's arms and sent him off to find more critically injured people. Naruto knelt next to Sasuke, who was picking up a limp body. Looking at it sent chills down my spine and I almost start to break down when I realized who it was. The boy who tried to kill Neji and I by the pool. The one who was possessed by the Devil. The one we couldn't save.

"You okay, Ten?" Sakura asked me.

I nodded quickly.

"Mmhmm." I replied. "It's just so...sad. Has anything like this ever happened before?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No...It's just-" She was cut off. "Oh my god...I have to help that kid!"

She rushed over to a poor boy throwing up all over the floor.

Quickly I found Neji, trying not to be disturbed by that scene. I was so tired though. Neji looked at me and knew it.

"You need to rest." He informed me. "You already used your reviving power once."

My head rolled as I battled to stay awake.

"I already slept for an hour back in hell...I'm fine."

Neji was unconvinced but he just shook his head.

"Then help me."

I bent down and took a bunch of tissues from my book bag, looking at the girl Neji was attending to.

She sniffled looking at her badly scratched arm. It seemed to be claw marks...of some sort. What **_did _**the Devil send?

I wrapped the tissues around it, smiling.

"Here." I said. "This should help a little bit. Keep it pressed and when everything calms down you can some disinfectant from the infirmary, 'kay?" She nodded and walked off, still sniffling.

I sighed.

"Tenten." Neji informed me. "You **_need _**to rest."

I vigorously shook my head.

"Not when all of this is going on."

He put his hand under my chin and pulled me into his comfortable looking lap.

"Just sleep, Panda. Sleep."

* * *

**A/N: Ahhh short chapter! Gomene! I had *no exaggeration* 14 hours of dance in three days. I did the ballet dance intensive. 4.5 hours tuesday, 5 wednesday, and 4.5 thursday. i'm SO tired. It was still pretty fun though. I'm trying out for a even more difficult dance line this year so I have to step it up! Bah. Then last night I had a girl's night with my two besties watching korean dramas, which by the way, are amazing. So yeah lateish shortish chapter rev- OH! And I had to DEAL with this BITCH at dance! She was watching me eat at our break and was all like 'a dancer can't eat like that. she should eat healthy foods to stay fit. you must have to exercise ten times harder than me and everyone else to maintain your dancers body.' cuz of course i was eating ramen chocolate and a cucumber but i thought it was chill. i was all like 'bitch you ever hear of a high metabolism' well...i didn't call her a bitch but yeah...LONG AUTHORS NOTE! Long story short I've been bussyyy so review this short chapter cuz I love you *heart***


	30. Boyfriend

_. L U C I F E R .  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 30: Boyfriend

"Ow."

My eyes were squeezed shut yet they were so close to being open. I tried for a long time to get them to stay open but they kept closing. When they finally started to obey my brain I squinted, glancing around.

"Panda. Why do you sleep so long?"

That voice was already imprinted into my brain.

"Gimme my glasses Neji." I ordered, but it was a calm order considering I was still waking up.

Neji reached down into my book bag and grabbed my glasses. I placed them on my face and glanced around, the correction making it easier to see as I woke up from a deep slumber.

My partner handed me a glass of water, which I took gingerly and raised to my lips.

"How long was I out?" I wondered, noticing that was laying in a bed in the infirmary. A greyness was cast through the window with pounding rain.

"All night."

SPLURSH!

I sputtered out the water from my mouth in shock.

"That long?" I demanded. "Why?"

Neji raised one of his perfect eyebrows and took the glass from my fingers, setting in down on the bedside table while wiping water off his clothes.

"Don't ask me." He remarked. "You're the one who was sleeping. Besides you needed a good nights rest."

I sighed.

"What about everyone else." I looked around realizing I was alone.

"They're...okay." Neji answered, obviously choosing his words carefully.

"Did anyone...die?" I inquired, my voice quivering.

Neji swallowed.

"One person."

My eyes widened.

"Who..." I didn't want to know.

"The boy from the pool."

I quickly looked away from Neji. I didn't want him to see me cry over someone I didn't even really know. Wiping a quick tear with my bandaged hand I finally regained composure to look back at Neji.

"S-sorry." I apologized. Being so weak was not something I should be doing.

"Tenten." Whenever he said my name, my real name, with seriousness it sent shivers through my spine. "I'm in love with you. I really don't give a shit." He was referring to the crying.

"Neji I-" He stood up and kissed me on the forehead.

"Just stop."

All I remember was him sliding into the bed and falling asleep in his arms once more.

oOoOo

I awoke again with sun streaming through the windows. It was warm but Neji was no longer by my side sleeping.

Sakura was next to me.

"I see you're still wearing the rape-dress." I commented.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Sure." She told me. "Be mean to the one who came to check up on you."

"All in good fun..." I remarked with a sigh, staring out the window.

Sakura chuckled. I knew she really didn't care. Besides, she totally **_loved _**my entirely true nickname for her dress.

"Well I see you're in a hospital gown." She commented.

"Ugh...I know."

I glanced down at the wretched thing. I hated hospital gowns. They're icky feeling, nasty looking, and smell bad. A grand experience.

"Where's Neji by the by the way?" I wondered.

"Getting you something." Sakura said through a mouthful of fruit.

Instantly I felt my jealousy rage. MUST HAVE A PIECE!

"Ahhh!" I opened my mouth and she fed me a piece of pineapple.

"Hungry?" She questioned.

"You have no idea." I responded, conveying my hunger by rubbing my stomach constantly.

Sakura got up from her seat.

"Shall I grab you something to eat?" She inquired, rubbing a bruised arm.

I was ready to say yes in a heartbeat but instantly felt bad, watching her attend secretly to her aching body.

"Nah." I replied. "It's all good."

Sakura nodded and turned towards the door.

"Wait!" I called. "Where is everyone? Why am I the only one in the infirmary!" I clearly remembered everyone being hurt in some form.

Sakura laughed.

"It's good news, Ten." She said. "There were only 5 people with broken bones, a couple with sprained ankles and that's about as serious as the injuries got. They're in the hospital right now, off campus."

I felt darkness loom over me. She forgot to mention the dead body. The boy who died. She must've assumed that I didn't know and didn't want to tell it to me honestly.

Putting on a fake smile, I waved at her in dismissal.

"Hurry up and sleep!"

She left, giving me some peace.

From what I gathered, it was still the same day. I looked at the clock and it was noon. Last time I woke up it was pouring and morning.

Tsunade came to check up on me every once and a while. I could tell she was exhausted and extremely busy so I didn't press her.

oOoOo

It was 1:30 PM when my door reopened. Neji walked through with a smirk stricken across his face. Something was held behind his back but I couldn't quite make out the object by looking at it's general shape.

But I knew he was about to torture me with his little **_mind _**tricks judging by the look on his smug face.

"Hey, Panda." He greeted as he strutted through the door and took a seat next to my bed.

I glared at him through squinted eyes, like daggers.

"What's that?" I demanded.

"Hold your horses." Neji set the box on his lap and he looked at me with fake innocent eyes.

"Yah." I accused, still annoyed by the presence of his package. "What are you doing?"

"Came to visit." Neji announced.

He unwrapped the box slowly and started to open it.

"But god am I hungry?" He continued.

My eye was twitching. What was in the damn box?

He smelled it, lifting the lid, revealing sushi. I was ready to kill him, reaching out for a bite before he could pull it back.

But alas, he was took quick, snatching the box out of my grasp, smirking.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I angrily questioned.

"Such a statement." Neji quirked. "If you agree to one condition I'll let you have some."

I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms and preparing for the worst. You don't what to expect when it comes to the bastard Neji. You gotta build armor around your body and your heart. Prepare...

"Under the condition..." Neji goes on. "That you, Tenten the panda, become the amazing Neji's girlfriend."

My heart was ready to explode. Was he asking me to be his girlfriend? Eek! I...just...fan girl screamed. How low could I have sunk? I musn't let him know that I have dropped to such a low level by being excited...

"Sir Hyuuga Neji, are you bribing me?" I inquired, trying to mask my pleasure.

He flashed a smirk.

"Yes...but," He gave me that daring and extremely sexy look. "I don't really think I will need to bribe you."

My face turned red, despite the cool temperature of the room.

"J-Just give me that!" I stammered, grabbing a piece of Unagi.

"Does this mean you're my girlfriend?" He asked, folding his arms and I sensed some colorful words about to escape his mouth.

I just flashed him a look of my chewed up sushi in my mouth.

He got my answer...:)

oOoOo

The next day I was sitting in Tsunade's office. You'd think, in this situation, we'd be having a relatively serious chat, considering all the shit that happened the past two days.

Um. No. We were talking about boys. And the conversation started when I mentioned something on topic.

"So...what are we doing with all of the students?" I wondered. "Is it okay for them to be mentally scarred by all of the demons?"

Tsunade laughed at the idea.

"No, it's cruel." She replied.

"Then how-"

"I've got it covered." The bright woman assured me.

I blinked a few times, still not understanding how in the world she could've possibly accomplished such a task.

"Confused?" She wondered.

I nodded, confirming her assumption.

"I'm erasing their minds."

I gasped.

"Is that really possible?" Clearly I was shocked but the tricks of the Devil never failed to surprise me.

Tsunade nodded.

"Not me of course," She explained filing papers at her desk. "I got an expert."

"Who?" I demanded curiously, fidgeting in the chair in front of her large desk.

"Jiraiya."

I coughed on nothing.

"Biology teacher!" Was all I managed between coughs.

Tsunade nodded.

"Perv..." I thought that was inaudible, hoping Tsunade didn't hear my comment towards the teacher.

"Tenten!" She bellowed and I nearly leaped out of my chair.

Don't kill me. Don't kill me.

"You're absolutely right!" Tsunade ranted. "He has no right to feel me up then go hit on Kurenai...He deserved that slap from Asuma!"

My eyes widened. I'd only known Tsunade for a short amount of time, seeing her only on a few occasions in the past, but I always was under the impression that she wasn't one to gossip...yet here she was.

So of course we got into a whole conversation about Jiraiya and Neji and how guys suck. Soon enough, I realized Tsunade wasn't just the uptight, big breasted principle she seemed to be. She was actually human (and really old!) so I respected her.

oOoOo

Jiraiya really was awesome though. I felt really bad watching him nearly faint after erasing so many memories. To be honest the whole process was a pain. Tsunade explained how necessary it was to erase their memories so their Devil's didn't awaken but putting every individual back into their dorm room was annoying. Especially since they were asleep so their limp body was all dead weight.

It took six hours, including Jiraiya's breaks and the one time he fainted. I never realized how amazing he was. I was always blinded by his perviness. Naruto and him actually seemed to be really close despite their constant bickering.

At the end of all the carrying and memory erasing, I realized that all the teacher's of the school had Devil's. I guess it made sense. But the reason to have a school didn't.

In reality, the most annoying thing throughout the week was finding these goddamn little demons in a random closet or something. Apparently they were all exterminated by the teachers the night of the dance but I couldn't help finding tons of them in **_random _**places, as I mentioned before in example: the closet. I was about to go on a killing rampage when I found one in the milk fridge in the lunch line but Neji restrained me.

Oh yeah...about that. He didn't take me on a single date throughout the entire week, the length we'd been going out, so I was starting to get pissed at him. But part of me felt that there was no time to get pissed.

Summer break was coming up and I wanted to be free. I was happy in Japan that the beginning of the year is in spring so when you come back from summer break you're still in the same grade.

oOoOo

I looked in the mirror at my new hairstyle. Finally I was able to get it styled since the incident, which by the way, the creature become our secret mascot. In secret because he would scare all of the other students who had their memory wiped.

Anyway, I looked at myself and couldn't help but feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. For some reason I liked it because it was new. Besides, why fret over something that always grows back?

I shook it a few times. It had to be cut a wee bit shorter because of the unevenness but I really, honestly liked it.

**http: / en. korea . com /files /2010 /11 /hyesun .jpg **take away spaces to see what Tenten's hair should look like =)

"It looks nice-"

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN HERE?" I demanded of my boyfriend.

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"I was just commenting..."

I rolled my eyes.

"I like it." I said.

Neji sighed sitting on my bed.

"I said I liked it." He repeated.

I smiled to myself, enjoying his little compliment, but still pissed he hasn't asked me on a date.

"Tenten..."

He better not break up with me or so help me god...

"I have something to show you and try not to scream." Neji continued.

Hmm. Didn't sound like a breakup but ...

"Close your eyes."

I did as I was told but not pleasantly.

The something papery was in front of my nose, I could tell by the smell.

"What is that?" I questioned.

"Open your eyes and you'll see." Neji informed me.

I did as I was told once more and this time, pleasantly.

"HOLY FUCK!" I shrieked it so loud I thought the neighboring rooms assumed it was an earthquake. "SM TOWN LIVE TICKETS!"

I was squealing and running around the room like a lunatic. This was the best thing that happened since ramen was created. No exaggeration intended.

"So is this...like a date?" I cried, jumping up and down holding the tickets for dear life.

Neji blinked, trying to keep up with me, though I **_knew _**he had the best eyesight.

"More like...a ton." Neji remarked.

"Oh! Do we get to stay in a **_hotel_**? Or an **_inn_**? OH! or on the train!" I was so hyper, my short hair bounced uncontrollably.

This certainly was going to be the best date ever.

* * *

**A/N: Hehe. Such a grand chapter XD I WATCHED THE EXORCIST o.O Omo...it was scary! But awesome! Then I had lots and lots of dance ughhhh gotta make this new line auditions are coming up! ACK! Anyway! I hope you don't mind Tenten's new hairstyle. This was in now way to copy Sakura's cut in the anime series. It was just an interesting part of the fight scene I decided to add because this creature is supposed to be cute and childish so pulling hair seemed like a good trait (because I got a new puppy poodle who enjoys biting my hair X.X) Anyway there is A DAMN MOSQUITO BY THE COMPUTER AND IT'S BEEN ATTACKING ME ALL FRICKEN NIGHT! Ha well...I love you guys.**

_SM TOWN INFO:_  
If you don't understand what SM town live is it's SM (music) Entertainment and it's a company that owns a bunch of really amazing korean pop artists that in the story Tenten is in love with including SHINee, SNSD, Super Junior and f (x). SM town is their live concert where all the artists (a lot of people by the way lol) perform their hit songs and it pretty amazing. It came to America once in Los Angeles but I wasn't cool enough to see it :( Cuz I live in Minnesota.

**ANYWAYSHHHS  
**

**Thanks for sticking with me and enjoyin the story!**

**:{ Mustache man again *hearts***


	31. Her Whisper is the Lucifer

_LUCIFER  
_

_Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline._

_Tenten_

Chapter 31: Her Whisper is the Lucifer

"What should I pack?" I ran around crazy the first day of summer (aka next week) and I think it was driving Neji crazy.

"God Tenten, it's 2 damn days, you **_don't _**need you're whole suitcase!" Neji scolded.

I sniffled fakely. I liked my zebra striped suitcase. Either way, I was only gonna bring my book bag. I packed a nice outfit for dinner tonight and the concert and then pajamas and an outfit tomorrow.

Fully charging my iPod was important so I left it's cord plugged into it all night to make sure it got extra voltage. The train ride was four hours to get to Tokyo, where the concert was.

Then we would go to dinner and leave for the concert. We were staying in a hotel that night so we wouldn't be riding a train home at three in the morning. I was proud to say that I wasn't afraid to share a hotel room with Neji, which was saying something considering the fact that I would never ever say that about any other boy on Earth.

oOoOo

" Nareul mukkgo gadundamyeon sarangdo mukkin chae!" I cried loudly, half singing half not as Neji and I reached the train station.

I had changed into my outfit I was going to wear for tonight, yellow skinny jeans with a thin pink belt and a silver sequenced tank that said 'Another Label, Another Boy' it was one of my favorites worn by Hyoyeon of SNSD. And to top it off, sky blue heels that were Ino's, which she was letting me borrow.

Speaking of Ino, she still can't walk and I was beginning to worry if she was ever gonna get out of her bed. Shikamaru was getting really pissed because Max was always in her room. Ino just growled at both of them to leave but I don't know if they ever did.

"Do you even know what you're singing?" Neji questioned as he took out our train tickets.

"Yeah." I remarked simply. "If you tie me down and trap me, then the love is also tied down."

Neji raised his eyebrow.

"What's the song called?" He wondered.

"Lucifer." I answered with a smirk. "Ironic?"

"Extremely."

I shrugged taking a ticket from his hand and boarding the train as the doors eased open.

"Miraedo mukkin chae keojil su eobtneunde" I sang. The future is also tied down. It can't grow anymore

oOoOo

After the first hour on the train ride, I took out food from my bag. It was funny because last train ride I didn't dare sit next to Neji at first but now without hesitation, I plotted myself right by him.

I handed Neji some M&M's. At first he was hesitant to eat the American candy, but I force fed him so it's all good. I, myself, decided to eat Onigiri I had packed in a bento box. It was pretty colorful if you asked me with rolled eggs and some eel. And fruit. And mango flavored candy.

Neji just rolled his eyes as he watched me pig out on my lunch. The lady with the cart of food didn't even ask us if we wanted anything. Of course I hunted her down anyway and asked for some Popsicles.

I was half eating, half listening to music. The song on my iPod right now was SHINee's 'Stand By Me' and I was loving it...

oOoOo

A half hour had now passed and I was beginning to get bored. Even though I had my iPod on hand it was still not enough. Neji seemed just fine sitting in his seat, staring at nothing. I suppose emotionless people were good at that but he was more of the emotion type when it came to getting angry so how could he just sit there?

"Let's play the end letter game!" I announced suddenly.

Neji glanced sideways at me.

"Sounds retarded." He remarked shortly.

I shook my head, used to his obvious insults and cold retorts.

"I'll start." I informed him. "Business!"

Neji just sighed rolling his eyes.

"If you don't answer in two seconds then-"

"Solitude." Neji muttered.

"Elephant!" I quickly countered.

"Tyranny."

"Yellow!" His enthusiasm didn't seem to match mine.

"Wilted." He droned.

"DYNAMITE!"

"Loud..." Neji mumbled, annoyed.

"HA! I win!" I declared proudly.

Neji raised his eyebrow, this time amused.

"I assume you know that wasn't my word." He said.

I smirked nodding.

"No matter...I win!"

Neji rolled his eyes 'accepting' his defeat.

Ha. He just can't resist me.

oOoOo

"You gonna get up?"

I rolled off of my boyfriends lap, groggily yawning.

"We there yet?" I asked.

Neji nodded, handing me my bag.

I took it and stood, stretching. It wasn't **_that _**long of a train ride. Still...

We exited the station and glanced around. The two of us were in Tokyo now. I'd only been here a few times so I didn't exactly know it like the back of my hand but I could manage. Besides, Neji was most likely some sort of expert by now.

Typically, he grabbed my hand and led me across the sidewalk.

"I remember the last time we went to Tokyo..." He told me upon taking my hand.

I looked upwards as if trying to remember was difficult.

"Stealing my first kiss you bastard." I grumbled.

Neji was once more amused.

"That was your first?" He questioned. "Wow...even though it's someone like you I'd never figure-"

"Shut up! You already knew that!" I yelled, this time taking the lead in our walk.

Neji just smirked the whole damn way too.

oOoOo

"No! Never!" I screamed. "I'm not going in there!"

I fought against Neji but of course he, being the one who trained me for combat, knew my moves too well. Neji dodged my escape attack and started to drag me towards the restaurant.

"I can smell the money leaving my pocket!" I groaned, protesting.

"You're not paying." Neji simply informed my screaming self.

"I can smell the guilt in me then!" I quickly retorted.

Neji just shook his head as he continued to drag me into the **_very _**expensive restaurant that was going to haunt my wallet eternally.

My eye twitched as a waitress dressed from head to toe in sleek back greeted us with a sweet smile.

"Do you have reservations?" She asked kindly.

I was about to say no and bolt out the door but Neji held a firm grip on my elbow.

"It should be under Hyuuga." He remarked with the best smile he could manage while trying to contain a wild child.

The waitress glanced down into her book and pointed with an 'ah'.

"Got you." She said. "Follow me."

She led us into an even more expensive room which I assumed was the dining room. The walls were lined with spendy wallpaper and a diamond chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Neji and I took our seats and the menus were placed in front of us.

"I'll come back for your drink orders in a few minutes while you get acquainted with the menu." She announced, leaving us to ourselves.

"Are you going to choose?" Neji inquired, watching me glare at the menu with distaste.

"Why..." I mumbled."Are the drinks 2,000 yen per cup?"

Neji chuckled.

"Have you ever **_been _**to a fancy restaurant?" He asked, looking at me with an entertained expression.

I kicked him under the table with one of my heels.

"Well apparently not." I grumbled.

Neji's smirk returned and I was surprised he didn't kick me back. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"What do you want?" He wondered.

"The Pina Colada." I responded, truthfully.

"Okay."

"Not okay, Neji!" I cried, trying to keep my voice low at the same time. "2,000 yen is ridiculous!"

"I'm rich, Panda." Neji replied with a raise of his eyebrow.

He really was just not getting it was he? I didn't want him to buy me all of this expensive stuff. It's not that I didn't enjoy it one bit because I did, every bit. It's just that I felt extremely guilty when he was the one paying for all of it. And also the fact that now he had something to use against me. I don't like being in debt.

"I'll be in debt of you." I spoke my mind.

Neji rolled his eyes.

"I'm doing this for you so you don't have to repay me." He said. "I'm your **_boyfriend_** so I'm supposed to be generous, relatively."

"Still..." I carried on.

"And what about the time that I bought you all that sushi..." Neji added. "Last weeks and a couple months ago."

My eye twitched. He had a point.

"If you **_let _**me pay for the food this time and calm down, then I'll think of that as repaying the other times." Neji negotiated.

"So basically," I said, displeased. "If I relax and let you pay without giving a fuss I'm forgiven?"

"God you make it fucking sound like you sinned." Neji laughed loudly. "Tenten, please, just enjoy this."

I sighed. I suppose it was okay if money wasn't a problem in his life. Not that it was much in mine but I wasn't exactly this rich.

oOoOo

With my Pina Colada, I ended up having broiled eel over rice which, by the way, is fantastic.

Neji had an espresso with Japanese-style prepared lobster, which I had also.

Our food was excellent and I refused to have the appetizers. But of course, being the panda I am, I couldn't resist having a little desert. So I ordered 3 mochi ice cream balls. Green Tea. Strawberry. Mango. Grand.

"Sir are you ready for the bill?" The waitress questioned once the dishes were clear of the table.

I raised my hand immediately but Neji was quicker to call me off.

"Yes." He handed her a credit card, pushing it into the bill slit and then gave me an accusing look when the waitress disappeared from our sight.

"What was that?" he asked.

I gulped.

"What?"

"I **_told _**you I was going to pay..."

At first I thought Neji was mad at me and then I saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. He was happy. Happy that I haven't 'repaid' him technically.

I pouted at him but didn't respond verbally, making his victory even more sweet to him.

When his car was returned to him we got up and began to leave the building. It was almost dusk, an hour before the concert was going to start. To be honest, I didn't really know where it was so I turned to Neji.

"Follow me..." He said, pulling my elbow.

We walked for about ten minutes until we reached a large ... outdoor ... auditorium. It was amazing. There were lights flashing everywhere. Strobes...colors...it was purely awesome.

"Come on, Panda." Neji instructed, leading me to the ticket booth.

Neji held up the tickets and the man ripped pieces off then handed them back to us.

"Where are our seats?" I asked, glancing at the tickets. "Daaamn!" Was my response.

We were really close to the stage and I had a feeling that I was going to have a fan girl moment and squeel.

"Shocked?" Neji suggested my emotion.

I just nodded, speechless as we walked in to find our seats through the crowds of people. Our seats were only two rows away from the stage. Perfect. So we could see the whole thing but still be close enough to the performers.

For the next half hour, before the performance started, I informed Neji of all the groups.

"First there's SHINee," I explained. "Made up of Key, Taemin, Jonghyun, Onew and Minho. Minho is the rapper, Onew is the leader, Jonghyun is the lead vocalist, Taemin is the best dancer and Key is the sass master. As in he can do the dances and singing together better than any one else."

Even though Neji was probably being bored to death he didn't show it much.

"And then Hyoyeon's my favorite from SNSD." I went on. "She doesn't get enough attention but she's their best dancer by far and has amazing vocals too."

Neji just nodded and nodded.

"Super Junior is just grandly there." I said. "They've had 13 members in total but right now there are 10. Kyuhyun is my favorite because he has the smexiest smile."

Neji wasn't too fond of that comment.

And as I was ranting about f(x) and how many more songs they should make, all the lights in the outdoor stadium started to dim and I freaked out, trying to mentally prepare myself for amazingness.

"I wonder what they're going to open with." I whispered to Neji.

He shrugged, obviously not knowing.

There was a quiet tone among everyone in the audience as we waited to be entertained by some of the best performers of Korea. YG was great too but obviously this was an SM concert.

Suddenly a familiar beat started to play.

"Soomeul gotdo chatji mothae naneun"

And that was when I started to lose it.

"Piharyeogo aesseo bwado"

I started bouncing up and down as SHINee took the stage, Onew using the mic first, making his voice heard throughout the crowd.

"Geobujocha hal su eopneun"

Seeing them so close made me feel like I was going to have a heart attack. I had to hold onto Neji's elbow to stay conscious.

"Nege gadhyeobeorin na" Taemin's soft voice echoing.

"Neji they're playing Lucifer!" I squealed.

"Sarangieotdamyeon jeongmal saranghaetdeon georamyeon." Jonghyun's strong vocals...

I had to prepare myself once more. The crowd chant was coming up and I knew it...**_very_** well. It's what a crowd screams during a dance and it's very intricate.

"Naege ireojineun mala...HER WHISPER IS THE LUCIFER!"

And then it started.

"LEE JINKI!" We cried, our voices resonating in the crowd.

"KIM JONGHYUN!" Louder.

"KIM KIBUM!" And louder.

"CHOI MINHO!" My lungs felt like they were going to burst.

"LEE TAEMIN!" The devil...

"SHINee!" is gone.

And then one last cry, "LUCIFER!"

_~ f i n ~_

* * *

**A/N: Ehh? What about it? A graaand ending? So guys, I really enjoyed writing this story and I'm sure you all know what reviews mean to me so thankkk youuuu so much for supporting this story! I really hope that it doesn't offend any of your religious beliefs because it is a hundred percent fictional. I know I'm not the best writer in the world with all of my mistakes but I hope to be one someday so I shall keep trying! YOSH! With the power of youth!**

**Yeah and I know the ending was kind of sudden but you know...things happen. Like today...ughhh I started driver's ed. WORST THING EVER! And then I had seven hours of dance today (no exaggeration) Dance has been really picking up and I'm so nervous for auditions so WISH ME LUCK! o.O  
**

** Hope you liked how Neji and Tenten ended up together. I was trying to go for something a little different than what I normally do with my stories. Trying to focus on Neji being a potty mouth wise guy than being _just_ mean. And I'm probably going to be writing a Soul Eater fanfic next, not sure, just to take a break from Naruto because 5 full length Naruto stories is a LOT. Haha. But I love Naruto all the same. Aaannndd...  
**

**So of _course _I gotta give you a link to the song Lucifer! It is a really intense song by the way. And if it were never made this story wouldn't exist therefore...THANK YOU SHINee! (pronounced Shiney by the way). If you don't understand crowd chants still, a video of their live performance shall do the trick. So here is the link guys to Lucifer, watch in HD and turn your speakers up all the way to the song that inspired me to make this story: (The crowd chant is from 0:15 to 0:22)  
**

** www . youtube watch?v=R3Wx8l2kWuY&feature=related (remove spaces)**

**Ta-ta for now!**

**:{  
**


End file.
